When the great sci-fi writer Octavia Butler wrote her seminal book, Parable of the Sower, in 1993, she imagined 15-year-old protagonist Lauren Olamina starting her Earthseed journal on July 20, 2024.
That date has just passed, and, according to reporter Aina Marzia, Butler’s work strikes a powerful chord with Generation Z readers. In a new story for YES! that probes the source of this affinity, Marzia makes the case that Butler’s solutions to late-stage capitalism are inspiring a new generation grappling with our contemporary dystopian reality.
A journalist from El Paso, Texas, and an incoming freshman at Princeton University, Marzia spoke with YES! Senior Editor Sonali Kolhatkar on YES! Presents: Rising Up With Sonali about Butler’s enduring popularity, especially among youth.