Parable of the Talents- A Good Read

Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Talents gives us a dark and insightful look into the not-so-distant future. The country has slipped into political and economic decline as global warming wreaks havoc on the bread basket, making it hard for the US to it’s jingoistic view of the world without cannibalizing its own citizens. Alaska has seceded and public education has become a thing of the past, giving rise to a subpopulation of illiterate poor who have no choice but to prey on the rich or form small communities of shanty towns on the periphery of larger cities or communes in secluded areas. Acorn is one of these communes. Acorn, is the brainchild or Lauren Oya Olamina, a charismatic young, black visionary compelled to spread the gospel of her own religion. While preaching “God is Change” Olamina welcomes those who are willing to work and builds an oasis of community and friendship in the midst of chaos.

Parable shows us a United States where debtor’s prison has returned and slavery is as commonplace as an out of work software engineer. The tale begins in 2032 and is told through the journal entries of Olamina and her daughter. The reader is taken on a bleak, but hopeful journey as the seeds of religious tyranny, classism, and short-sighted corporate greed come to fruition in just a few short decades. On a more individual and internal note the story raises the question of duty and purpose. If life has no purpose, only potential, are we beholden to the bonds of blood and friendship or to the passions we pursue? How do those choices affect us and the world around us?

I’m not a very big science fiction fan, but I love the small, relatable fantasies that make Parable engaging. I especially liked the idea of “Sharers”, these are the children of parents who are addicted to “smart drugs”, or what we would call Ritilin. The Ritilin addiction causes the children to become hyperempaths, able to feel the pains and pleasures of the people around them. Olamina is one of these.

I really like Butler’s work, they’re not appropriate for young readers because of the subject matter and scenes of rape and murder, but it is an engaging read. A good read.