A Good Morning America 2021 Top Summer Read PickThe visionary author’s masterpiece pulls us—along with her Black female hero—through time to face the horrors of slavery and explore the impacts of racism, sexism, and white supremacy then and now.Dana, a modern black woman, is celebrating her twenty-sixth birthday with her new husband when she is snatched abruptly from her home in California and … abruptly from her home in California and transported to the antebellum South. Rufus, the white son of a plantation owner, is drowning, and Dana has been summoned to save him. Dana is drawn back repeatedly through time to the slave quarters, and each time the stay grows longer, more arduous, and more dangerous until it is uncertain whether or not Dana’s life will end, long before it has a chance to begin.
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I was not certain of what to think when I picked up this book, but the author impressed me very much. I really enjoyed the plot with the great mix of fantasy and history. It brought to life all the horrors that the blacks had to go through in the earlier parts of American history; there were times at which I could practically feel the pain that the characters were going through. I also love how realistic the main character’s emotions are; she experienced such emotionally cumbersome, conflicting moments that are very much realistic. Awesome work overall.
Stumbled onto this book and couldn’t believe how I was affected. A young black woman gets summoned back in time in the 1800’s, in the South and under slavery. The amazing story is how the experience is told from a 20th century perspective. Really tremendous account.
Dana Franklin is a black woman in America in the seventies. She finds herself living her life with her husband who is white, but then she is catapulted back to antebellum south. The story goes back and gives a historic look at the way slaves were treated. Dana also ends up discovering some things about her ancestry that surprise her. Life during that time and how Dana is living through her current circumstances. The story is hard at times to read, not because it is not written well but because its uncomfortable and horrific to envision.
I listened to this one on audiobook and it took a little bit to figure out what was going on. I would suggest that if listening to focus on the narration for the first few chapters to understand what is going on, I ended up having to go back because I was multitasking. My sister and niece both loved this book and said reading it was fantastic. Well worth checking out.
Wow! For being a book written in 1979, I wasn’t expecting Kindred by Octavia E. Butler to hit me quite as hard as it did. This was such a powerful novel and I am going to call it a must-read!
I only recently found out about Kindred, and I am so glad someone put it on my radar and that I was able to listen to it right away. I did the entire book on audio and the narrator, Kim Staunton, was seriously amazing and very talented. This may be fiction, fantasy, and sci-fi but it also talks about a huge part of American history – slavery.
I am a huge fan of books involving time travel but have yet to read very many of them, and I thought it was well done here, if a bit confusing at first. I found the beginning of the book to be an abrupt start and you never really get an answer to why this is happening to Dana. However, I was really invested in the story and stayed up late to finish because I wanted to know how things would end between Dana and Rufus (the young slaveholder).
I won’t lie to you, some scenes are very hard to read/listen to, but I think Kindred is a very important novel and whether you choose to do the audio or the physical book you won’t be sorry to have picked it up.
This is my favorite author and the first book I read of hers. My sisters and I have taped a book review with full detail on YouTube: IHurd That Book Reviews and More https://youtu.be/ICwbVw1YVhw
What a fabulous book, I don’t know why I haven’t read it sooner. I was given this book as a Christmas present two years ago and I finally decided to read it. I’m so glad I did. The story of a young African American woman (Dana) who’s a writer, living with her Caucasian husband (also a writer) in California suddenly starts periodically travelling back in time (1815) to keep her white, slave-owning ancestor Rufus out of trouble. Somehow, they are connected across time because they are kindred. To assure her own future, Dana must keep Rufus alive until he has children who will some day be Dana’s family line. She is essentially securing her ancestry and in the process has to endure living the life of a slave during her visits back in time.
This was a fascinating read and I highly recommend everyone to read this book. If you’ve read Roots by Alex Haley then you’ll love Kindred.
I loved this book and I was sorry it ended so soon. This book takes you on an adventure that you never want it to end. It has two stories going on at the same time and both are interesting. It is a time travel story and the characters are taken back in time.
Outstanding
Loved this book! It kept me turning the pages all the way to the end and with a strong conclusion, left me thinking afterward. Throughout the plot you were carried through Dana’s life and the dangers she faced and just when you thought you had it figured out a twist would surprise you! A must read for Historical fiction/science fiction readers.
Kindred, written in 1979, is a time-slip novel about an African-American woman, Dana, who travels back to antebellum slave society.
Her story is simply, but powerfully, told as she is forced to accept a role as a slave. Dana has to make many difficult choices to stay alive, especially as her fate is linked with that of the plantation owner’s young son.
The novel explores with brutal honesty the master/slave dynamic. Do you “submit” to ensure your safety and keep your family from being sold? Or do you run away and risk being hunted down like a dog? There are also vivid descriptions of the horrors, humiliations, and beatings endured by the slaves.
Kindred is a compelling book and the perfect antidote to Gone With the Wind, with its portrayal of happy darkies and benevolent owners who owed their privileged lifestyles to the unpaid and forced labour of their slaves.
Octavia E. Butler was a writer of sci-fi but she called Kindred “a kind of grim fantasy.” There are no convoluted explanations behind the “science” of time travel, but the “why” is explained. The acceptance by white and black people of Dana as a time-traveller is a bit too neat, but this does not weaken the narrative drive.
Octavia Butler is one of my favorite authors. I have read the whole series and all her books. All are excellent, cannot put them down!
Technically classified as science fiction, this story is so much more. It’s historical fiction. Romance. A novel. Elements of thriller, horror, and mystery run trough the tapestry, and the characters are rich, nuanced, and so real you could reach out touch them. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
A friend said the following about this book, and I agree wholeheartedly: “Some books, you read, and you think ‘I think this is really good, but it might not be for everyone…’ Kindred is for everyone.”
Very unique!
GREAT characters and a interesting story.
This is a terrific story, it entertains and it makes you think. Loved it.
Anything written by Octavia Butler is going to be good. She uses her life experiences, then asks “what if …” and weaves a story in her genre, sci fi, to answer. This book depicts her “time travel” contemplations/story.
One of the best science fiction writers in my opinion.
This is an incredible book.
One of Butler’s best novels!
I found this book to be a waste of my time.