Parable of the Sower

Parable of the Sower is a 1993 speculative fiction novel by American writer Octavia E. Butler. It is a post-apocalyptic fiction novel that provides commentary on climate change and social inequality. The novel follows Lauren Olamina, a young woman who can feel the pain of others and becomes displaced from her home. Several characters from various walks of life join her on her journey north and learn of a religion she has discovered and titled Earthseed. In this religion, the destiny for believers is to inhabit other planets, alongside working with the change that the earth is undergoing to survive with the reoccurring message of “God is Change”, referring to the Earth as a god. Parable of the Sower was the winner of multiple awards, including the 1994 New York Times Notable Book of the Year, and has been adapted into a concert and a graphic novel. Parable of the Sower has influenced music and essays on social justice as well as climate change. In 2021, it was picked by readers of the New York Times as the top science fiction nomination for the best book of the last 125 years.Parable of the Sower is the first in an unfinished series of novels, followed by Parable of the Talents in 1998.