Parable of the Sower

Throughout the course of this book, Lauren Olamina is developing her own religion—one that focuses on the idea that “God is Change” but that people shape God and not the other way around. What do you understand her religion to be about, and how did her environment shape her philosophy? Is it a good framework by which to survive in this world?

Bankole believes that such a straightforward idea of religion won’t work, that religion must be more “mystical,” “comforting,” and ambiguous to truly catch on. Do you think this is true? How do religions take hold, and what makes them so appealing to so many people?

Environmental devastation due to climate change caused the dystopian events in this book. What role does weather play in this world, and does such a situation seem realistic to you based on what you know of the changes we’re seeing in our environment today?

Race is another issue that figures prominently within the narrative. Lauren sometimes compares elements of their situation to what she knows of slavery in the South. What role does race play in this post-apocalyptic setting? How does the multiethnic makeup of the characters affect their point of view?

Community is an important aspect of the group that Lauren is putting together in a world where survival can seem a much more immediate need. What does community mean here? Why is it so important to humans, and to this community specifically?

Octavia E. Butler is a writer of a literary genre (science fiction) that white males have traditionally dominated. How is this book a departure from accepted science fiction tropes and how is it similar? Why is her voice significant?

Some have labeled Butler’s books Afrofuturism and called her “the mother of Afrofuturism,” but some say her stories are too multiethnic to fall under that label. Can you argue one way or another? How has this book been influential for writers of color and for the science fiction genre?

Is Lauren Oya Olamina a good leader? Does the fact that she is an unusual person—due to her hyperempathy, her complete faith in a religion she has invented, and her desire to go out into the stars—make her more suited to the role than some others? She clearly feels she is different than the others, and they all have opinions that differ from hers. Do you think she can keep this community together? What qualities will help her do this?