Parable of the Sower

Before I joined the 52 Book Challenge I had never heard of Octavia Butler and I certainly did not pick up dystopian fiction intentionally. And this is why I joined the challenge because Wow what a ride! This book is outstanding and terrifying. Butler wrote it in 1995 and it takes place in California in 2025- in a falling society. Government is ineffective, water shortages are the norm, corporations have pushed the country to dangerous levels of greed and corruption. Failed biotech has created a dangerous and highly addictive drug. I could go on and on. The narration by 15 year old heroine Lauren is unemotional, stripped of any joy and very little optimism. It's a world of survival and of building a community out of ruin. Fantastic read. Highly recommend.