Kindred by Octavia Butler

Title:

Kindred

Author:

Octavia Butler

Series:

N/A

Genre:

 Historical fiction with a twist of science fiction.

Back-of-Book Summary:

Dana, a modern black woman, is celebrating her twenty-sixth birthday with her new husband when she is snatched abruptly from her home in California and transported to the antebellum South, Rufus, the white son of a plantation owner, is drowning, and Dana has been summoned across the years to save him. After this first summons, Dana is drawn back again and again, to the plantation to protect Rufus and ensure that he will grow to manhood and father the daughter who will become Dana’s ancestor. Yet each time Dana’s sojourns become longer and more dangerous, until it is uncertain whether or not her life will end, long before it has even begun.

A Bibliophile’s Review:

I will honestly say, I’ve never been a big fan of historical fiction. They’ve simply never held my interest, so when my former high school English teacher kept telling me to check the book out… initially I blew her off. Eventually curiosity got the better of me, and I must say was I surprised. No sooner then I had read the first page, was I captured. I was unable to put the book down. Kindred is a easy read, its written in a way that the reader can understand every last little detail from beginning to end. For a historical fiction, it didn’t go all historian on the reader. Instead it held the readers hand and explained everything in a way which one with no prior knowledge of the plantation era, could understand. Dana, the main character, is one which any self-confident female can connect with. She is strong, determined, and knows exactly what is she has to do. In the end, I have to say that this is an absolute must read for everyone above the age of 16.

Final Word:

Captivating, beautifully written with its simplicity, this is an all around fantastic book. It should be on everyone’s list of books to read before one dies.

Rating:

10/10

Recommended Readers:

Generally I would avoid saying this, since it’s a rather general statement. Except for this book, it’s rather appropriate. Everyone above the age of 16. I won’t lie, this is a book about the time in which African Americans were slaves. We weren’t exactly the nicest to them, and this is shown/told in the book.

If You Enjoyed This Then Try:

The Time Travelers Wife