November Book of the month - Kindred

Book Club: Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
Step across time and into history as we explore Octavia E. Butler’s groundbreaking novel, Kindred. Blending speculative fiction with unflinching realism, Butler tells the story of Dana, a young Black woman in 1976 Los Angeles who is suddenly and inexplicably transported to a Maryland plantation in the early 1800s. There, she must navigate the brutal realities of slavery and survival—while uncovering a connection that ties her fate to those who came before her.
Through Dana’s harrowing journeys between past and present, Butler asks urgent questions about ancestry, identity, power, and the weight of inherited trauma. The novel’s time-travel premise becomes a profound exploration of history’s persistence—how the legacies of oppression, resilience, and love continue to shape us long after the moment has passed.
With stark honesty and emotional precision, Kindred forces readers to confront the intersections of race, memory, and moral responsibility. It is a story both intimate and epic, reminding us that understanding where we come from is essential to understanding who we are.
Discussion Points:

• How does Butler use time travel as a tool to explore the lingering effects of slavery?
• In what ways does Dana’s experience challenge our understanding of history and personal identity?
• How do power dynamics—across race, gender, and time—shift and reveal themselves throughout the novel?
• What role does empathy play in bridging the past and present?
• How might Kindred change the way we think about our own connections to history and family?