Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

I listened to the unabridged audio version of Kindred by Octavia E. Butler and narrated by Kim Staunton. Kim Staunton is a good narrator and I enjoyed her narration of Kindred. 

Listening time for Kindred by Octavia E. Butler is 10 hours, 55 minutes.

I've heard Octavia E. Butler's name for years in the literary world, however, Kindred is the first novel I've read by the author. Kindred is a work of fiction that falls into many genres as it falls into the science fiction genre, historical fiction genre, and time travel fiction as well. 

Kindred is definitely a heavy hitting read. In fact, it's pretty graphic at times due to the violence and brutality bestowed upon African American slaves of the antebellum south. I definitely agree with the following statement from the plot summary below that reads, "author Octavia E. Butler skillfully juxtaposes the serious issues of slavery, human rights, and racial prejudice" in her novel. 

Additionally, Octavia E. Butler's writing is superb and engrossing. As a reader, I was sucked into the storyline immediately and couldn't wait to see what happened to the main character, Dana Franklin, and her husband, Kevin. I was intrigued as to how the time travel worked, what would happen to Dana each time she traveled back and forth through time, and how things would eventually work out for all those involved. Kindred is an amazing novel and explores relevant themes.

The following YouTube video explores the major themes of Kindred by Octavia E. Butler.

Below is the plot summary for Kindred by Octavia E. Butler from Audible:

The first science-fiction written by a black woman, Kindred has become a cornerstone of African-American literature. This combination of slave memoir, fantasy, and historical fiction is a novel of rich literary complexity.

Having just celebrated her 26th birthday in 1976 California, Dana, an African-American woman, is suddenly and inexplicably wrenched through time into antebellum Maryland. After saving a drowning white boy there, she finds herself staring into the barrel of a shotgun and is transported back to the present just in time to save her life.

During numerous such time-defying episodes with the same young man, she realizes the challenge she's been given: to protect this young slaveholder until he can father her own great-grandmother.

Author Octavia E. Butler skillfully juxtaposes the serious issues of slavery, human rights, and racial prejudice with an exciting science-fiction, romance, and historical adventure. Kim Staunton's narrative talent magically transforms the listener's earphones into an audio time machine.

I am giving Kindred by Octavia E. Butler a rating of 4 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!