Kindred

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Voyage
Review: Reading Kindred is like taking an exhilirating journey through time. The book whisks the reader from Los Angeles, 1976, to the antebellum South and back again. Through the characters Dana (an African-American woman) and her Caucasian husband, Kevin, modern-day readers(of all races)are allowed to venture back into the days of slavery and see for themselves in vivid detail a sampling of what life was like for those involved in this most horrific time in American history. From the attention-grabbing opening line("I lost an arm on my last trip home. My left arm."), to the closing scene (which I will not reveal), I was hooked! (So much so, that I read the entire novel in one day.)I frst read Kindred for a graduate-level class and have since read it several times for pleasure. I am now a University lecturer and have taught the book in an undergraduate course. Much to my surprise my students loved it too! (One student loved it so much that she was almost fired from her job because she had customers to wait on, but didn't want to put the book down.) Another student remarked that he had never read an entire book from cover to cover because he always lost interest in the middle, yet Kindred was so engrossing that he not only finished the book, but has discovered the joy of reading.

Rating:
Summary: Not your typical slave narrative
Review: I read kindred for a requirement for a college class. I typically do not enjoy reading books dealing with slavery, in fact there would be no chance of me reading this book if it was not for class. Imagine my surprise when i discovered that i actually enjoyed reading this book. It was very entertaining and at the same time got it's point across. Octavia Butler has a wonderfully vivid style that kept me wanting to read more.

This was not your typical slave narrative that persecutes all white people for the treatment of slaves in the 1800's, rather it asked questions that anyone alive today might ask, and then makes the reader think about why things are the way they are. She asks questions like: "How could anyone let themselves be a slave?", "Why not just run away?", or "How did treatment like this go on for so long?"

The main charecter in this book is an african american woman named Dana. She lives a very liberal life in 1976 Los Angeles with her white husband. She is portrayed as a strong independant woman who has strong moral values. Through some force that remains unknown througout the entire book, Dana is transported back in time to the antebellum south to find herself laying near a river. She is awakened to the screams of help from a young child. Dana helps save the childs life and is soon transported back to the future. Dana is taken back and forth through time throughout the book, each time to save this child's life. She soon finds out that this child is in fact her ancestor, and that she must continue to save him in order to ensure her existance. The child's name is Rufus, the son of a rich slave owning plantation owner. Dana, being a black women in the 1800's is forced to deal with many things she is unprepared for. Each trip back in time gets longer and longer and she is forced to learn to deal with a situation that is very tough. Through Dana's experiences in the antebellum south, this book shows the many hardships that slaves were put through and shows the not only physical but also mental abuse that made the slaves helpless.

Butler does a wonderful job at getting her point across and a wonderful job at telling an entertaining story. She brillantly fuses the more somber slave narrative with the exciting science fiction style in order to create an excellent book. I would recommend this book to anyone, even if this is not the type of book you enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: Kindred: A Great and Amazing Link To the Past
Review: This was a great book! I couldn't put it down. It was as if everytime the main character was transported back in time, I was with her.
This book had a profound effect on me. For so long I had thought only of how slavery influenced African Americans; but thanks to the main character's relationship with her white husband I was able to really see how slavery influenced everyone.
This is definintely a must read!!!

Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece from one of the essential sci-fi writers
Review: Octavia Butler's "Kindred" is a novel which fits into many literary niches. It could be seen as a milestone in both African-American literature and science fiction; it's also a novel with a lot for feminist readers and critics. But ultimately the power of this book allows it to transcend all labels.

"Kindred" tells the story of Dana, a 20th century African-American woman who is married to a white man. Throughout the book Dana is mysteriously thrust back and forth in time between her world and the world of her ancestors in the 19th century. She seems to be tied to one ancestor in particular: Rufus, the white son of a slaveowning family. Part of Dana's struggle is to deal with the utterly alien world of Rufus' slaveowning culture.

Butler brilliantly weaves many powerful themes into this gripping story: violence, sexual desire, race, literacy, language, law, and education. The story is peopled with well-developed characters who have complex, interconnected relationships. Butler vividly evokes how the slave system both physically brutalized blacks and psychologically warped whites.

Butler's prose is lean and muscular. She grips you from the stark opening lines: "I lost an arm on my last trip home. My left arm." The story is richly ironic and heartbreaking. "Kindred" is a compelling 20th century literary descendant of such important 19th century slave autobiographies as "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass" and Harriet Jacobs' "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl"; it is also a significant "sister" text to 20th century works (like Toni Morrison's "Beloved") which also revisit the era of slavery. But Butler's ingenious use of a classic science fiction device (i.e. time travel) sets the book apart from all of these other literary explorations of slavery. Whether for classrooms, book reading circles, or individual readers, "Kindred" is a triumph to be treasured.

Rating:
Summary: Modern audiences will find newfound meaning in the story
Review: Octavia Butler's 25th anniversary paperback edition of her classic Kindred should be used to replace any library's aging or worn copies: modern audiences will find newfound meaning in the story of a modern black woman snatched from her California home and transported through time to an antebellum plantation. Her connections to a young white plantation owner's son will change history and assure her heritage in this intriguing story.

Rating:
Summary: African American woman is sci fi heroine
Review: This is a crowd pleaser. Listed as sci-fi or fantasy, gives a false impression. Through the eyes of Dana, a black 20th century time traveler, we visit the ante bellum south.

Through her visits we meet her ancestor, a white slave owner. She first encounters him as a boy floating face down in a pond. She saves him from drowning, and is returned to the 20th century when the boy's father (another ancestor) points a gun at her. It appears that her fear returns her to her home. Her husband was with her and witnessed her disappearance. She returned just minutes later soaking wet.

As the book progresses, Dana returns again and again to the southern plantation each time to save her ancestor from some life threatening peril. Each time she stays longer. Each time she returns when she fears for her life.

The author uses the time travel device effectively to connect the 20th century attitudes of her readers with her speculations on slavery. We view the compromises made by all to accommodate slavery... the participation of all, slave owner, slave, and free blacks. The terror instilled in slaves by separating families and selling children. At one point we are told about a tactic used by Dana's ancestor. He sold all but one of children of a particular slave. This child is mute. At first Dana thinks that the child could not be sold. But, she later considers this a tactic of terror. This last child is all that this slave has left. How better to keep the slaves in line then to make them fear for their children. It is through devices such as this that she starts to understand how easy it is to give into that fear, how easy it is to enslave a human being.

Ultimately, Dana commits the act of a 20th century African American woman. It destroys her ancestor, and tears apart the slave families that she had grown to care about.

This book appeals to me on so many levels. Octavia Butler is a wonderful story teller, but she is telling a story with a moral. She appeals to the emotions. I cared for Dana, her husband, and the plantation slaves that she encountered. She appeals to reason. I accepted her view of how slaves would respond to various circumstances, and I accepted her actions as reasonable under the circumstances. She appeals to me as a woman. Her heroine is one (not commonly found in sci-fi). And finally, she appeals to me as a historian. I accepted her facts on the life of slaves, and the relationship between slave and master.

I highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Prepare Yourself For A Mental Voyage
Review: As alluring and thought-provoking as Toni Morrison's Beloved, Kindred takes you on a mental trip of self-identity. For anyone who has contemplated their own lives, their being, and what connects them to the people they love or call family, Kindred is the book for you. As the sand of an hour-glass pouring from one end into the next, this story ties its protagonist of one time into the past. Read this book . . . take a look into your own conscience . . . then read it again.

A.E.H. Veenman, an author and reviewer

Rating:
Summary: Time Travel and Slavery
Review: This book was well-enough written, and the plot was tight , and the book was an easy read. But... There was something about it that just wasn't right. The character of Dana seemed stuck-up, and I never found myself caring whether anyone in the book lived or died. It didn't seem vital for Dana to... well, what was she doing anyway? I love reading and I have read my fair share of bad books, which this didn't quite classify as. It just wasn't a good book. I wouldn't reccommend it, I wouldn't read it again. In fact, I'm not entirely sure that I would have read it in the first place had it not been required by my english teacher. The introduction compares it to these great works of literature such as Kafka's "Metamorphosis", and frankly I didn't find it worthy of those comparisons. The subject of slavery being dealt with alongside time-travel seemed ludicrous and the juxtaposition of these two elements was, although cleverly done, weird. I was glad to finish this book, and I hope you'll take my advice and save yourself the trouble.

Rating:
Summary: A Must Read
Review: This book was one that was loaned to me by a friend of mine, and boy am I thankful. I had a very difficult time putting this book down. Even when the book was down, my mind was still going. What would it be like to be plucked from my life of freedom, choices, and equality and dropped into another time zone or place where those very things I take for granted were completely stripped from me? The author does an excellent job of portraying the internal struggles and frustrations felt by Dana when she is faced with having to protect people who are acting in a way that is completely opposed to what she believes in her present life. Butler creates characters who come to life. Some you can't help but love and empathize with, some you hate to love but find yourself feeling compassion for in spite of yourself, and some you feel nothing but contempt for.

Definitely add this to your "wish list."

Rating:
Summary: Very Good!
Review: It was required that I read this book for American Lit. class at my high school. By my surpise it was a excellent book. I really enjoyed it. It is now one of my favorites. I acually checked the book out from the library and Im now planning on buying the book to add to my collection so I can always have it to read. I would recommend this book to anyone. It is an easy read. I also admired the concept of the book. Octavia Butler is a wonderful writer. I plan on looking into her other books.