November 7, 2025
Thanks to Alissa Simon, HMU Tutor, for today’s post.
In October, I was fortunate enough to join the Great Books Council of San Francisco for a discussion of Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower. This book depicts an apocalyptic scenario in southern California. It begins in a tightly controlled suburban neighborhood. Stucco walls and metal fences offer a sort of boundary line between the community and the much darker, harsher world just outside its walls. For a time, the neighborhood maintains these walled boundaries, but inevitably, the outsiders find a way in. Their arrival destroys the neighborhood.
The book’s protagonist is sixteen year old Lauren who explores intersections of love and hate, trust and forgiveness. Using some of the resources from her father, a preacher, she navigates every dark scenario and even helps some of her neighbors survive. Lauren’s hyperempathy enables her to feel others’ pain, but also makes her vulnerable. As she gains confidence in herself, she learns when to trust others through interactions and observation.
At the beginning of the novel, Lauren trusts only two people: her father and her best friend. Once her father goes missing and her best friend refuses to believe her, Lauren is left without any confidants. As the story unfolds, the community unravels and Lauren is surprised to discover that trust is an essential piece of a community.
The question of education also surfaced a number of times during our conversation. In the initial tight-knit community, education existed, but was restricted. Leaders thought that the community couldn’t handle the full truth of the outer world, that they couldn’t handle its darkness. So education in this small community focused on cleaning and handling weapons, church services, reading and writing, and gardening. As the outer world encroached, however, Lauren alone prepared an emergency kit. I don’t believe she did this because she was hopeful about survival, but it demonstrates her desire to stay alive. It also acknowledges an attention to the truth of her situation. Others in the community refused to believe that drastic measures would be necessary, so they didn’t educate themselves about the land, safety, water, etc.
Initially, Lauren prepared herself to live alone. Yet, even with all her skills, resources, survival preparation, and tactics, she still preferred community. As she traveled, she welcomed more and more people into her circle. The group communicated well, voicing fears and weaknesses openly. Through these discussions, they learned to trust one another. And what’s more, they began to hope for something better.
In my opinion, this book opened up the potential of education. I already function in a space which prizes discussion-based learning, and Butler’s book underscored that even more. One might be able to learn facts and dates which form a sort of education. But for me, education hinges on improvement, insight, and future-thinking. What we learn today should help us to become better tomorrow. The novel’s darkest moments are spent in periods of isolation, confusion, and hurt. The brightest moments are spent in difficult discussions, even in disagreements, when each person gets a chance to speak their mind from their perspective. These discussions are how the community begins to trust each other, which seems particularly poignant in the present moment.
Our discussion was led by Lillian Dabney from Folio: The Seattle Athenaeum. Lillian’s insightful questions got us rolling. She fostered an excellent conversation which, for me, focused on themes of community. What became clear throughout our discussion is that humans work best in groups and that groups work best when the community meets more than basic necessities. Lillian asked: What do people have to do to retain a community? Butler’s book seems to point us in the direction of: the basics such as food and water, education, space (even if it’s only imaginary), trust, and hope.
To that point, I want to thank the Great Books Council of San Francisco community and Lillian Dabney for such an excellent conversation! I look forward to another.
Photo credit: Shutterstock/ PeopleImages
