Review: "Kindred," by Octavia Butler

In 1976 Dana Franklin, a Black woman, finds herself transported to Antebellum, Maryland. When she arrives, there is a White child that is drowning. She has no idea how she got there or why she is there. When a rifle is drawn on her, she is transported back to her suburban home in Los Angeles. These time-traveling episodes happen five more times throughout the book. The White boy turns out to be Rufus Weylin, the son of a White slave owner. She quickly realizes that she is transported back every time Rufus is in danger. Dana also learns that she and Rufus have an ancestral connection and feels compelled to help him because the past affects her future. As you can imagine, an educated Black woman from 1976 traveling into the time of slavery creates complications.

Octavia's writing is compelling, engaging, and draws you into the narrative. The tone is haunting and sobering with Dana's heavy responsibility for Rufus and the slaves that she lives amongst during her time in the past. Kindred is a commentary about the relationship between slave owners and slaves and a metaphor of what slavery took away from future generations of Black people. 🕮🐛🐛🐛🐛