Seattle Reads 2024 Selection is ‘Parable of the Sower’ by Octavia Butler, the “Grande Dame of Science Fiction”
release date: March 15, 2024
Seattle Reads, The Seattle Public Library’s citywide book group, has announced its book selection for 2024: “Parable of the Sower,” by legendary science fiction author Octavia Butler.
“We are thrilled to celebrate this incredibly influential author and book with new readers while celebrating her legacy with those who have been influenced by her work for decades,” said Stesha Brandon, Literature & Humanities program manager for The Seattle Public Library.
With a plot that begins in the year 2024, “Parable of the Sower” was also chosen because of its prescient present-day setting, offering the chance to “consider the world that the book depicts in relation to current times.”
The selection of “Parable of the Sower” is the first time that Seattle Reads has chosen a work of science fiction and the first time that the Library has chosen an author after their passing. It is also only the second time an author with Seattle-area ties has been selected.
Published in 1993, “Parable of the Sower” is set in a time when global climate change and economic crises lead to social chaos, and California becomes full of dangers, from pervasive water shortage to masses of vagabonds who will do anything to live to see another day. Fifteen-year-old Lauren Olamina lives inside a gated community with her preacher father, family, and neighbors, sheltered from the surrounding anarchy. In a society where any vulnerability is a risk, she suffers from hyper-empathy, a debilitating sensitivity to others’ emotions.
Precocious and clear-eyed, Lauren must make her voice heard in order to protect her loved ones from the imminent disasters her small community stubbornly ignores. But what begins as a fight for survival soon leads to something much more: the birth of a new faith …and a startling vision of human destiny.
Print, e-book and e-audiobook copies of “Parable of the Sower” are available in the Library’s catalog. Limited copies will also be available for informal borrowing (meaning patrons don’t need to check out the copies).
Seattle Reads is made possible by The Seattle Public Library Foundation and The Wallace Foundation. Additional support provided by media sponsor The Seattle Times.
SEATTLE READS PROGRAMS
Seattle Reads 2024 is presented in partnership with the African-American Writers’ Alliance, Arte Noir, Clarion West, Elliott Bay Book Company, Langston Seattle, loving room: diaspora books and salon, Sistah Scifi, Third Place Books and Wa Na Wari.
The Seattle Public Library and community partners will present a wide variety of programs related to Seattle Reads and “Parable of the Sower” starting in April. The events will include opportunities to discuss, learn, discover and celebrate through book discussions, performances, panel discussions, author events and workshops.
Several upcoming events include “eARThseed: How Octavia Butler’s Work Inspires the Arts" on April 21 at ARTE NOIR, featuring artists Aramis Hamer and Berette Macaulay, and moderated by Brooke Bosley; “Queering the Future: LGBTQ+ Authors on Octavia Butler's Impact” featuring Anastacia Renee and Nisi Shawl on June 5 at Elliott Bay Book Company; and Sistah Scifi’s “Wine Down Wednesdays” from June 26 to July 31, a series of online events featuring Black speculative fiction writers, curated by Isis Asare of Sistah Scifi.
Check back for a full list of programs, dates and times, as well as a discussion guide at www.spl.org/SeattleReads.
ABOUT OCTAVIA BUTLER
Octavia E. Butler, often referred to as the “grand dame of science fiction,” was the author of several award-winning novels including “Parable of the Sower,” New York Times Notable Book of the Year, and “Parable of the Talents,” winner of the Nebula Award for Best Novel. Recipient of a MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant and numerous literary awards, she has been acclaimed for her lean prose, strong protagonists, and social observations in stories that range from the distant past to the far future. She moved to the Seattle area in 1999 and passed away in Lake Forest Park, WA, a suburb of Seattle, on February 24, 2006.
In recent years, sales of Butler’s books have increased enormously as interest has grown in the issues she addressed in her Afro-Futuristic, feminist novels and short fiction. Butler’s work is now taught in over 200 colleges and universities nationwide. In 2018, the bestselling graphic novel adaptation of her book “Kindred,” created by Damian Duffy and John Jennings, received the Eisner Award for best adaptation.
ABOUT SEATTLE READS
Founded in 1998, Seattle Reads is a citywide book group in which people are encouraged to read and discuss the same book. Originally called “If All of Seattle Read the Same Book,” Seattle Reads was the first “One Book, One City” program. It proved so popular that that concept has inspired similar programs across the United States and internationally.
Seattle Reads is designed to deepen engagement in literature through reading and discussion. Everyone is invited to participate by reading the featured book, joining a book discussion or attending programs with the featured writer.
PREVIOUS SEATTLE READS SELECTIONS
- 2023: “The Swimmers” by Julie Otsuka
- 2022: “The House of Broken Angels” by Luis Alberto Urrea
- 2021: "The Vanishing Half" by Brit Bennett
- 2020: "There There" by Tommy Orange
- 2019: "The Best We Could Do" by Thi Bui
- 2018: "Homegoing" by Yaa Gyasi
- 2017: "The Turner House" by Angela Flournoy
- 2016: "We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves" by Karen Joy Fowler
- 2015: "The Painter" by Peter Heller
- 2014: "For All of Us, One Today: An Inaugural Poet’s Journey" by Richard Blanco
- 2013: "Stories for Boys" by Gregory Martin
- 2012: "The Submission" by Amy Waldman
- 2011: "Little Bee" by Chris Cleave
- 2010: "Secret Son" by Laila Lalami
- 2009: "My Jim" by Nancy Rawles
- 2008: "The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears" by Dinaw Mengestu
- 2007: "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
- 2006: "Persepolis" by Marjane Satrapi
- 2005: "When the Emperor Was Divine" by Julie Otsuka
- 2004: Seattle Reads Isabel Allende: The 2004 series featured seven titles from Allende's body of work.
- 2003: "A Gesture Life" by Chang-rae Lee
- 2002: "Wild Life" by Molly Gloss
- 2001: "Fooling With Words: A Celebration of Poets and Their Craft" by Bill Moyers
- 1999: "A Lesson Before Dying" by Ernest Gaines
- 1998: "The Sweet Hereafter" by Russell Banks
Find book synopses for all Seattle Reads titles on this Seattle Reads webpage.
MORE INFORMATION
The Library believes that the power of knowledge improves people's lives. We promote literacy and a love of reading as we bring people, information and ideas together to enrich lives and build community.
Contact the Library’s Ask Us service by phone at 206-386-4636 or by email or chat at www.spl.org/Ask. Staff are ready to answer questions and direct you to helpful resources and information.