Rating: 
Summary: A blast from the past
Review: Kindred is an amazing story that transports readers along with Dana, from the freedom of 1976 to a horrid time - slavery. Since the trips precede her birth and ours, Dana experiences culture shock but learns to survive in the 19th century.Although the trips from sunny California to the muddy south are very painful, Dana grows wiser and stronger with each visit. She is summoned to help a slave-owner's son who later becomes the seed responsible for her existence. The author weaves a tale that compels readers to undertake a horrible, mysterious journey into slavery. Though the past is as ugly up close as described by our ancestors, we pack our curiosity and determination and travel with Dana. She needs our help, so we must read on despite the horror. Kindred is a daring read and well worth the challenge!
Rating:
Summary: Kindred is definitely a MUST READ!
Review: I originally posted this review in 1998. I still give the book the same rating. here's the review: I am the proud president of a local book club here in Atlanta (Circle of Friends II) and we read KINDRED as our Nov. '98 Book Selection. I initially thought the book would be a sci-fi read and would be my first in that category. Much to my surprise, the book dealt with many issues that hit close to home. The main thing I would like to mention on this review is that Ms. Butler reminded African-Americans of the days of slavery in way in which was very thought-provoking (to say the least) and then she showed the survival skills used by Dana in the story which I found to be rather interesting. The discussion of this book really was one of best this year. Hats off to Ms. Butler, I have recently purchased your new novel, "Parable of the Talents". Kindred is definitely a must read!
Rating:
Summary: Butler Offers a Uniue Perspective
Review: When I was assigned to read Octavia Butler's "Kindred" for my American Literature class last year, I thought it would be just like every other book that I had ever be assigned to read for school - boring. However, once I started reading, I came to realize that this book was different. I just couldn't put it down - I think I read the entire novel in two nights! Butler's vivid descriptions and constantly changing scenery provides the reader with a literary experience unlike any other. Although this was the first novel by Butler that I had ever read, I look forward to reading many of her other books in the months to come. If you have time to read one book this summer, I implore you to read "Kindred" - it will be time well spent.
Rating:
Summary: Loved this book
Review: Haunting. I used this book for a paper I wrote on mutlicultural counseling. The more I read the more I found. It really moved me on so many levels.
Rating:
Summary: New Lover of Ms. Butler
Review: Thanks to the uninhibited mind and writing of Ms. Butler I am a new believer in the world of Science-Fiction. For an African-American woman to be such a phenomenal sci-fi writer is unheard of and remarkable. Kindred is a must-read! I was moved by the story of Dana and Rufus. Without giving the story away, I must say that the inner-struggle that Dana had to go through to act as a guardian angel of sorts to Rufus was amazing and well-written. I felt every emotion that Dana felt and probably then some...I could not put this book down and grew angry with the clock when it told me it was time to stop reading. Please read this book if you are a sci-fi lover or not, you will appreciate the writing and talent Ms. Butler displays with this novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Just Great
Review: Kindred is an amazing book. It is a fast read that does not contain a dull moment. Throughout the novel Dana, the main character, travels back and forth between her history in the antibellum south and present day. In this novel Butler makes time travel credible although the transition between the past and present can be confusing at times. The characters were very well established, however I would have liked to see a greater extent of the relationships between them. Overall I thouroughly enjoyed the book and all of its characters.
Rating:
Summary: this book should be read in all African American lit
Review: In many ways, this is the natural inheritor of books like Incidents in the life of a Slave Girl and The Autobiography of Frederick Douglass. This is fiction, but it has many of the classic elements of the African American slave-writing tradition. What I think is most crucial about the book is the way the protagonist learns how the slave-system worked-- how it wore down a person's will to choose, to live, and to be human, and how the system affected both slave and owner. Octavia Butler is one of my favorite writers, and even though I haven't seen it taught yet in college classrooms, I will definitely promote the book in my future classes.... it's a classic, much the way Faulkner and Hemingway are.
Rating:
Summary: A beautiful, disturbing story
Review: Dana, a young black woman in 1976, is repeatedly transported to a 19th century Maryland plantation to save her ancestor. She experiences slavery in a unique way - as a woman who's known nothing but freedom and who has a way out, though it's not entirely under her control. Dana finds that, while stuck in the past, she has to fight desperately to keep slavery from taking hold of her spirit. That fight gets harder the longer she's there. From the first page, this book grabbed me and held on tight until the final word.
Rating:
Summary: Kindred - A Must Read
Review: When I was told to read this book for my American Literature Class, I thought that it would be like almost every other book that I had been forced to read in school - boring and mindless. Since this was my first Octavia Butler novel, I really didn't know what to expect. However, when I started reading the first chapter, I realized that I couldn't put it down. I think I ended up reading the entire book in two nights because I just couldn't wait to see what happened next. This is, without a doubt, one of the best books that I have ever read. I'm usually not one for science fiction books, but I'm interested in history, so the historical overtones made Kindred very enjoyable for me. I am now a devoted fan of Octavia Butler, and I can't wait to read all of her other books!
Rating:
Summary: So It Isn't Science-Fiction: So what?
Review: So it's an OUTSTANDING historical novel that grabs the reader and won't let go. I could hardly put it down. I am very much a science-fiction fan, but I am not so foolish as to think a novel has to be science-fiction to be good. I have read many excellent historical novels, some of the best of which were those of Kenneth Roberts, Kyle Onstott, Lance Horner, Miriam Grace Monfredo, and Diana Gabaldon, all of which I highly recommend, but "Kindred" stands out above all of them for sheer impact. Some readers have downgraded "Kindred" for not including a pseudo-scientific "explanation" of time travel (to make the book qualify as science-fiction) or for not explicitly criticizing Dana's and/or Rufus' ethical imperfections. Fortunately, Octavia Butler had the sense to know that either an unneeded "explanation" or a preachy chapter of ethical criticism would have greatly weakened the impact of the story. I look forward to reading more of Octavia Butler's books. Thank you, Pam Hanna, for recommending her works.
| 
