Parable of the Talents - Paperback

by Octavia E. Butler (Author)

Parable of the Talents – Paperback by Octavia E. Butler is the compelling sequel to Parable of the Sower. Set in 2032, the novel follows Lauren Olamina as she works to protect Earthseed, the faith and community she created after surviving widespread destruction and social collapse.

Lauren’s peaceful settlement offers refuge to people facing persecution, but it becomes a target after the election of an oppressive, ultra-conservative president. As violence and religious extremism threaten everything she has built, Lauren must fight for her community, her beliefs, and the future she envisions.

Years later, Lauren’s daughter, Asha Vere, discovers the journals of the mother she never truly knew. Through these writings, Asha attempts to understand Lauren’s choices and the conflict between her responsibilities to her family and her mission to guide humanity toward a better future. 

Book Highlights

• Written by Octavia E. Butler
• Paperback edition
• Sequel to Parable of the Sower
• Set in a divided America in 2032
• Follows Lauren Olamina and her Earthseed community
• Explores faith, political extremism, oppression, and resistance
• Told partly through journals read by Lauren’s daughter
• Features Afrofuturist and dystopian themes
• Suitable for science-fiction readers and book clubs
• Interest level: Grades 9–12
• Reading level: 5.9
• Number of pages: 448
• Dimensions: 1.3 × 8 × 5.2 inches
• Publication date: August 20, 2019

Author Biography

OCTAVIA E. BUTLERwas a renowned writer who received a MacArthur "Genius" Grant and PEN West Lifetime Achievement Award for her body of work. She was the author of several award-winning novels including Parable of the Sower, which was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, and was acclaimed for her lean prose, strong protagonists, and social observations in stories that range from the distant past to the far future. Sales of her books have increased enormously since her death as the issues she addressed in her Afrofuturistic, feminist novels and short fiction have only become more relevant. She passed away on February 24, 2006.