This is the first book I've read by her. And honestly I felt uncomfortable with some parts of the story. In our time she is strong, lovley and willful. But the more she kept going back it was like she was being broken down. Same with her partner. The breaking of the Spirit ( of many of the characters) was hard to read. BUT..this is one of my favorite books of all time. And I love this author more and more when I read about her. I just ordered Dawn by her and I'm reading a short story by her called Speech Sounds. Have you read it?

I first came across the audio book 10 years ago, and was very impressed. The scenes were graphic enough and the plot very realistic, so there was no need to write another version.

You have a beautiful channel here. Thanks so much for sharing

I found the graphic novel agonizing for the same reason you state: having to feel for Rufus and recognize the twisted bond that he and Dana share. It was horrifying and tragic.

Favorite book of all time! Did not know this Channel existed. Thank you for YOU.

Kindred is one of my all-time favorite books (in its novel form).

Just finished it. Excellent commentary!

What a great review! I appreciated hearing your observations and thoughts about the story. I, too, found it hard to sympathize with many of the characters, especially Rufus. I think Butler purposely pairs his deplorableness with his humanity. On the one hand, we see him as a slave master, a rapist, and a violent and hypocritical racist. On the other, we see him as a drowning kid, abused son, Dana's ancestor, and suicidal father. As repulsive as he is, it's possible for the reader to sympathize with Rufus in a similar way Dana did. I found myself continuously asking why, though - why does Butler want us to sympathize with him? I guess I could also ask: Why does Butler humanize him? The latter question seems closer to an answer. I know you uploaded the video a few months ago, but I'm curious to hear your thoughts. Why do you think Butler forces us to care about characters who act in such heinous ways?

Octavia made pretty pictures in my mind...

I feel like we read two different books. I found way too many plot holes and was sorely disappointed by the ending. There was no grand exposition that explained what affect her time traveling had on any of the characters, even herself. She included her husband, but then dropped him like a sack of potatoes once his parallel storyline picked up. Dana didn't even ask what Kevin was doing for FIVE YEARS!! He could've gotten married, had a family, gotten a great job as a writer, made a bunch of money, purchased property, been destitute on the street, almost died...etc and Dana doesn't even care! It references a scar on his head and the.... nothing. Everyone is just like "oh its five years later and Dana's here!" I mean, even TODAY if someone showed up, the same age, randomly years later, there would be a huge issue. WHY did any of this happen? What was even the point of going back? Was she indeed tied to Rufus until his death? Why? Some might say"to save her lineage" but why Rufus? Was he the ONLY accident/ suicide prone person in ALL of her ancestry? I find that hard to believe. Why did SHE need to go back? She added nothing to history or present AT ALL. I mean if she was a doctor or had some great skill that actually made a difference, I could get that, but all she has is aspirin, excedrin and ball point pens. She doesn't even bring an encyclopedia, which in 1976, especially for book lovers as her and Kevin are, most people had on their shelves! Why did her arm get stuck in the wall? It made no plot sense, just shock value. Once she knew they expected her to be a "doctor" why did she not do ANY research of current medical care in 1976? I remember the scene where she's watching TV and in like what?!!! You're LIFE is in danger and you're watching tv?!!TV?!!! Idk I kept expecting some great ending and it just didn't come

I just received this graphic novel for Christmas and your review makes me want to read it even more. I read Kindred in college and loved it. I've loved everything I've read by Octavia Butler so far. We never shut up about her on our channel. :D This was a great, in depth review, and I really enjoyed hearing your thoughts on both the novel and graphic novel versions of the book. -Sue

Kindred is my favorite book. I've read it several times since I first read it my freshman year of high school, and I just absolutely love that book. I bought the graphic novel the week it was released, but I've been nervous to read it. The art made me a bit uncomfortable with it's angular style. I like that you felt it was a representation of the discomfort Dana felt. Also over - all I appreciate this review because I think it may be easier to approach the graphic novel now. I'm looking forward to watching more of your channel! - Amber

I love the way you describe books!

You make such an interesting point about being forced to envision characters you don't want to sympathize with in a graphic novel interpretation. I read Kindred with you all, but I am intrigued to check out the graphic version.

Binge watched the TV series last night. It was very good, but ended with so many questions unanswered, so I am going to get the book from the library and read it.

I don't think I'll ever forget first reading Kindred. Octavia E. Butler is a master in fostering empathy and making you care, the devices she employs are simply incredible...!

Everytime i hear 'graphic novel' i shudder.. in this case, perfect description of a book that was so visual that it hurt

Hey. I just saw you on Denise's live chat so I popped by to say hey and subscribe.

This video popped up on my feed, probably because the FX Series Kindred....I have not read the book, but took a look at the graphic version and I would agree with you. There is a harshness to the illustrations that I found frustrating....and that's just scrolling through the photos. Anyway, thanks for the review and I have a new interest in the actually reading the novel. Continued success!

I loved hearing your thoughts on this. I have been meaning to read Octavia Butler. So I am going to ho bombard my library until they buy her works (especially on audio). I love the way you break down the categories

I tried to read the graphic novel and I hate to say I DNF'd it . Unfortunately it was my first foray into Octavia Butler; big mistake. I'm going to participate in the slow read-a-long, so I'm hopeful I will love Ms. Butler's actual writing. I'm excited!

I think that the femininity theme you mentioned here in Kindred with the character Dana is also explored in Parable of the Sower with the character Lauren. She too dressed in a way at some point on her journey where she is mistaken for a man (though I think this was the character's intention as a precaution).

Very Good !!! You are great , speaks Great and Look great

This was such a great and thorough review. I plan to read Kindred some time this year for the BookRiot Read Harder challenge and I honestly cannot wait.

I read the graphic novel very recently, and I was a bit disappointed by how simplified the story seemed in some ways, compared to the novel. I get what you're saying about being forced to consider other characters when they're visual, but it also took a lot away from Dana's inner dialogue. I kept thinking that I would've completely missed a lot if I hadn't read the novel first. I would definitely not recommend the graphic novel to anyone who hasn't read the book, because to me it's too stripped down. I also didn't really love the art, but you made me think about it in a new way. It's true that it adds to the uncomfortable feeling. Great review!

Ironically I just read both the novel and graphic novel last month, and I really loved hearing your thoughts. I really thought they were both really well done, and I am glad to have read them, and I'm certain I'll revisit them at some point in the future.

I’m intrigued to read the graphic novel after I read the original text. It’s interesting how the graphic novel allowed you to consider the other characters. I’ll probably have a difficult time with the art style, but I like how purposeful it seems. Great review!

Turned out to be a good show I now want to read the novel

I'm new here hello! Wow this book sounds amazing and important and raw. I definitely want to read it and the graphic novel! Thanks for your great review :) Do you have a video where you talk about your rating system? I think it's interesting and all-encompassing! -Jessica PS great earrings!

I've always found this book fascinating. I think Octavia Butler's biggest strength is her ability to find nuance in the complicated and sometimes awful nature of humanity. This is especially prominent in her characters. The slaves aren't just victims. The slave owners aren't just one-dimensional evil. They're human beings. They have their awful flaws and yet also relatable qualities to even the most horrific characters. Kindred is in a whole other ballpark when it comes to typical slave narratives, especially those spewed out by Hollywood, in terms of the nuance and complexity brought out of such an awful system. The most horrifying aspect of this novel is the fear of becoming complacent and even falling in love with the very structures that oppress them. And I think Butler conveys that beautifully. I checked out the graphic novel and I believe it's a very good adaptation. There's less details and it's more streamlined but the art really adds more raw emotion to the story in a way only the visual can.

I would love your review on the fx tv series 💖

If you liked Kindred, read "The Parable of the Sower" also by Octavia Butler, which is much better (also has young black woman protagonist) and leaves you more hopeful. It has a sequel that I'm looking forward to as well.

The series deviates from the book. Hope they produce a second series, the first season kind of left things hanging in the balance.

Hi African American older woman here born 1951. I think perhaps y just need to accept that people in times of slavery responded in method of "life style" i.e. Those against slavery, for what ever reason . With northerners in the main it was economic in terms of the souths wealth.the southern state to propagate ,beyond standard Circumstance ,to greater effect . So slavers had in reality in my opinion , varying opinions including violent actions, considered in their opinion deserved, thereby beyond acceptable. I do not care for the graphic presentation in this case. But each must decide. My afterthought is that people in situations of uncaring conduct often become desensitized especially when exposed thru childhood. Thereby propagating turmoil.

Hello, so glad to hear your thoughts! Are those wonder woman ear rings? You always have beautiful ear rings on in your videos! I struggled with the art at first but I grew to accept it as a representation of Dana’s harsh reality. This isn’t art I enjoy but perhaps that is the point. Incomplete and unsafe as she could come/go at any given moment or killed/beaten at any given moment. It did give me that sense of urgency. I didn’t think about the empathy I felt for young Rufus until hearing your thoughts. However, this didn’t make me empathize with any of his decisions or actions throughout the course of the novel. As an adult his actions are even more grotesque and violent because we see his raw, unapologetic emotion too. Were there other characters you empathized with in the graphic form similarly?

I love this so much

Hi Njeri, I appreciate your insights about the different versions of Kindred. Again, the richness of your descriptions has me thinking about reading the Octavia E. Butler version. Thank you.

It is now a series on FX. Do you plan to watch?

Just read the graphic novel version of this story. Honestly, it's hard for me to digest the N word, extremely hard but understanding that Dana and Kevin are going from the 1970s to the middle 1800s, times were different. I also found it interesting that when Dana goes back for say a few minutes, when she returns Kevin said she was gone for seconds. So there is definitely some kind of time dilation going on there. From what we have available from that time period, I feel Octavia really nailed how uneven the races were looked at. The only part of your review I found unnecessary to even bring up is the LGBTQ representation in the story. Not everything has to represent that group of people especially in a story about familiar connections and how they stretch across time. Sexuality or even sexual orientation is basically a non issue. What I found interesting is that Dana and Kevin hid their marriage when back in the 1800s, I can understand why though. Even in the 1970s interracial relationships were kind of looked down on in a very racist way. However, looking back over 50 years ago, we have to understand those were different times, times that the Civil Rights movement was starting to not only work but get dialed back because of the success of the movement at that time. Similarly, towards the end of the story when Dana sees Rufus grown up, they were getting closer to the emancipation proclamation by Lincoln thus ending the Civil War. Honestly, you can't just cherry pick what works for your reviews and overall audience, present as wholely and as unbiased as you can because you never know when a student of any age might see your content and it's irresponsible to present only things that are cherry picked. Not a bad review but it could have been a lot better.

To arrive is the first things that can happen in life, but she was afraid of her life. Maybe she was afraid of suffering, afraid to invite people, afraid to have not succeeding in life, afraid to feel feeling, afraid to be untrustworthy, afraid of its color.👶👸👵

Nice review! 😊I've had this book on my shelf for a long time. I know I need to read it, but I'm scared lol.