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Octavia E. Butler

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Octavia E. Butler


Born
in Pasadena, California, The United States
June 22, 1947

Died
February 24, 2006

Website

Genre
Science Fiction & Fantasy


Octavia Estelle Butler was an American science fiction writer, one of the best-known among the few African-American women in the field. She won both Hugo and Nebula awards. In 1995, she became the first science fiction writer to receive the MacArthur Foundation "Genius" Grant.

After her father died, Butler was raised by her widowed mother. Extremely shy as a child, Octavia found an outlet at the library reading fantasy, and in writing. She began writing science fiction as a teenager. She attended community college during the Black Power movement, and while participating in a local writer's workshop was encouraged to attend the Clarion Workshop, which focused on science fiction.

She soon sold her first stories and by the late 1970s had become ...more

Combine Editions

Average rating: 4.21 · 1,059,313 ratings · 119,659 reviews · 89 distinct works • Similar authors
Kindred
4.31 avg rating — 297,849 ratings — published 1979 — 174 editions
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Parable of the Sower (Earth...
4.18 avg rating — 301,779 ratings — published 1993 — 103 editions
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Parable of the Talents (Ear...
4.32 avg rating — 94,650 ratings — published 1998 — 75 editions
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Dawn (Xenogenesis, #1)
4.15 avg rating — 68,950 ratings — published 1987 — 58 editions
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Wild Seed (Patternist, #1)
4.20 avg rating — 42,180 ratings — published 1980 — 59 editions
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Fledgling
3.78 avg rating — 41,990 ratings — published 2005 — 49 editions
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Adulthood Rites (Xenogenesi...
4.18 avg rating — 31,194 ratings — published 1988 — 44 editions
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Bloodchild and Other Stories
4.34 avg rating — 28,955 ratings — published 1995 — 9 editions
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Imago (Xenogenesis, #3)
4.19 avg rating — 26,654 ratings — published 1989 — 45 editions
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Lilith's Brood (Xenogenesis...
4.37 avg rating — 22,772 ratings — published 1987 — 52 editions
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More books by Octavia E. Butler…

Series by Octavia E. Butler

Parable of the Sower Parable of the Talents
(2 books)
by
4.22 avg rating — 398,688 ratings

Dawn Adulthood Rites Imago
(3 books)
by
4.20 avg rating — 149,557 ratings

Wild Seed Mind of My Mind Clay's Ark Patternmaster
(4 books)
by
4.13 avg rating — 92,341 ratings

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Quotes by Octavia E. Butler  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“In order to rise
From its own ashes
A phoenix
First
Must
Burn.”
― Octavia Butler, Parable of the Talents
3107 likes
Like

“When your rage is choking you, it is best to say nothing.”
― Octavia E. Butler, Fledgling
1582 likes
Like

“All that you touch
You Change.

All that you Change
Changes you.

The only lasting truth
is Change.

God
is Change.”
― Octavia E. Butler
tags: change, god
1426 likes
Like

Polls

Should Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler be a group read for Sept-Oct 2026?

Thumbs up - want to read OR have already read and rated highly
 
  5 votes 55.6%

I MIGHT read if chosen by others
 
  4 votes 44.4%

Thumbs down - not interested OR have already read and did not rate highly
 
  0 votes 0.0%

Not yet - concerned for availability
 
  0 votes 0.0%

9 total votes
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