Book Review: Kindred

Dana is an African-American woman in the 1970s, living a normal life until she is unexpectedly dragged back in time to the Maryland slave days, where she saves the life of her great-great-great-grandfather . . . a white slaveholder named Rufus Weylin.

This book was written by Octavia Butler, the first African-American woman to publish science fiction novels. I will admit that this book doesn't feel much like sci-fi, mostly because it never makes any attempt to explain what is going on, but I feel like that wasn't the point. This book made me feel things, which I think was the point. I felt shock at the treatment slaves received at the hands of their masters, and sometimes at the hands of other slaves. I felt sadness at the portrayal of how slavery and discrimination affects both blacks and whites (similar to how sexism affects both females and males). I felt disgust at Rufus' treatment of Dana, Alice, Nigel and others, even knowing what he did about Dana and where she came from.

My main understanding of this book was focused on how our environment affects us. At first, Dana is confused and annoyed by how submissive the slaves are, how they don't fight back against their masters, but as she spends more and more time in the past, she begins to see these very behaviors in herself. She also has a hard time with how Rufus behaves; he knows she is from the future, he knows that there will be more freedom and equality for people of color in her time, and yet he persists in his odious behaviors towards the slaves. Why doesn't his attitude towards her change? Why can't she influence him to become more progressive?

The answer is similar to why the slaves act the way they do: that's the way they were raised, and how their environment influences them to act. The slaves are acting for survival. They know that certain behaviors will get them beaten, sold, or killed, so for the most part they avoid those behaviors. The cook Sarah, for instance, keeps her anger in check because of constant threat that her daughter might be sold if she fights back. It is not that she cannot rise and stand up for herself, but she understands the consequences of doing so.

Rufus has been raised to believe blacks are beneath him; any discomfort he has with these ideas is rationalized and explained away. Again, he could have risen above this, been respectful of Alice, treated Nigel like an equal, but he allowed his environment to overcome him.

I found myself thinking about this theme later. What toxic behaviors am I learning from my environment? What mindsets do I have that I can change?

I had many more thoughts and feelings about this book, but I felt these were the most important and relevant. We are all products of our environment, but that doesn't mean we can't change! Society changes---slowly, but surely, and it changes because of its people.

So, change your mindset. Be kinder, be more loving. Learn more about other cultures, ethnicities, races, and sexes. Rome was not built in a day, but together we can change the world.

2017 Reading Challenge

Popsugar posted a reading challenge for 2017, and I've decided to participate. It's taken me a little while to post, but here's the challenge and what I've read so far:

1. A book recommended by a librarian - The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson

2. A book that's been on your TBR list for way too long - Up A Road Slowly by Irene Hunt

3. A book of letters - The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

4. An audiobook -

5. A book by a person of color - Kindred by Octavia Butler

6. A book with one of the four seasons in the title -

7. A book that is a story within a story -

8. A book with multiple authors -

9. An espionage thriller -

10. A book with a cat on the cover -

11. A book by an author who uses a pseudonym -

12. A bestseller from a genre you don't normally read -

13. A book by or about a person who has a disability -

14. A book involving travel -

15. A book with a subtitle -

16. A book that's published in 2017 -

17. A book involving a mythical creature -

18. A book you've read before that never fails to make you smile - I Will Surprise My Friend! By Mo Williems

19. A book about food -

20. A book with career advice -

21. A book from a nonhuman perspective -

22. A steampunk novel -

23. A book with a red spine - Shade’s Children by Garth Nix

24. A book set in the wilderness -

25. A book you loved as a child -

26. A book by an author from a country you've never visited - What is Chemistry? By Peter Atkins

27. A book with a title that's a character's name -

28. A novel set during wartime -

29. A book with an unreliable narrator -

30. A book with pictures -

31. A book where the main character is a different ethnicity than you -

32. A book about an interesting woman -

33. A book set in two different time periods -

34. A book with a month or day of the week in the title -

35. A book set in a hotel -

36. A book written by someone you admire -

37. A book that's becoming a movie in 2017 - 

38. A book set around a holiday other than Christmas -

39. The first book in a series you haven't read before - Gone by Michael Grant

40. A book you bought on a trip -

Advanced:

1. A book recommended by an author you love -

2. A bestseller from 2016 - 

3. A book with a family member term in the title -

4. A book that takes place over a character's life span -

5. A book about an immigrant or refugee -

6. A book from a genre/subgenre you've never heard of -

7. A book with an eccentric character -

8. A book that's more than 800 pages -The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

9. A book you got from a used book sale -

10. A book that's been mentioned in another book -

11. A book about a difficult topic -

12. A book based on mythology - 

Feel free to recommend books to me for the challenge! I am especially looking for books set in two different time periods, books with eccentric characters, and books about difficult topics (though for sure Kindred could have counted for that one as well). I'll be posting reviews as I read and find books I really like---or really hate. What books are you reading for 2017?