Octavia Butler

Wow. I began to write a post about the amazing, admirable, inimitable Octavia Butler, definitely one of my top 5 favorite authors of all time and probably the one I feel had "the most to say" regarding important issues, timeless issues. I have read what I thought was a sizable chunk of her list of works. I have studied and read about her life and ideas. A favorite quote of mine, which is just a description she once gave about herself was that she was "an oil-and-water combination of ambition, laziness, insecurity, certainty and drive." She also described herself as "a Black, a feminist, and a pessimist if I'm not careful." ...Feels like I've thought these types of thoughts and words a thousand times myself (no, not the black part, sillies). I've loved a great many things that she said and even more that she wrote. But what I learned today while doing a "little bit of research" to make sure I stated the correct facts about her life and work in this blog post is that 1.) she has more works than I realized, which I must now go and read, and 2.) that I can not possibly hope to write about this complex, amazing, intuitive and passionate author without doing a lot more research on my subject. I stand humbled before her body of work and the story of her great life of ideas and writing.

If you aren't familiar with the late Ms. Butler (who died quite young and before her time in '06), do yourself a great favor and check her out. I recommend her book, "Kindred," if you're new to her. Don't be put off by the fact that she is often categorized as "Science Fiction." She is way deeper and more interesting than those two words could describe. She will tell you about yourself and your life and your race and your history. No matter who you are or where your walk of life has led you. And yes, no matter what color you happen to be.