Why should you read sci-fi superstar Octavia E. Butler? - Ayana Jamieson and Moya Bailey
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- Опубликовано: 24 фев 2019
- Explore the works of science fiction visionary Octavia E. Butler, whose novels, such as “Parable of the Sower,” influenced the growing popularity of Afrofuturism.
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Much science fiction features white male heroes who blast aliens or become saviors of brown people. Octavia E. Butler knew she could tell a better story. She built stunning worlds rife with diverse characters, and brought nuance and depth to the representation of their experiences. Ayana Jamieson and Moya Bailey dive into the works of the visionary storyteller who upended science fiction.
Lesson by Ayana Jamieson and Moya Bailey, directed by Tomás Pichardo-Espaillat.
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Octavia E Butler sounds ahead of her time.
She was!
She's probably sent from the future like that one story of hers.
Great science fiction usually is
She wasn't. We are behind her time
Another favorite quote from Octavia Butler,
"Kindness eases change."
I love that.
This sounds like it would be of use at the moment.
Purple Pepper “change is God, God is change”... she wrote that in parable of the sower
"Kindness eases change, love quiets fear."
Just three words but the amount of calm I felt reading it is immense
How have I not heard of this author before? These stories sound so nuanced and thought-provoking. I'm heading to my public library right now.
Start with Kindred.
Relatable, have a nice day.
Jonathan Avila she is the only sci-fi writer to win a MacArthur “genius” Award. My favorite book of hers is WILDSEED - it will blow you away! All of her books will!
I found out about her listening to Mike Hodel's "Hour 25" hosted by Harlan Ellison.
even dealt with her novel "kindred" at uni, super good
Her book, Kindred, is such a great book. 🤗
Kindred was AMAZING
mamaducksc, I was fortunate enough to have read it for a novel study. It sparked some great conversation in the classroom. Perhaps one of the most memorable books I’ve ever read.
You are incredibly correct.
@@mdempsey7128 me too I totally agree
I read it couple of months ago, for a university exam, it's amazing!
Parable of the Sower came to me at a particularly trying time in my life, and I'll always cherish it. She was an amazing author, and I still mourn her loss.
Hope your days are better now
Wow I wish I had found her books when I was younger. I was a big reader and my dream has always been to publish a book (if not multiple books). I love sci-fi and fantasy but I hated how I struggled to find characters that were like me in my favourite books. So I wrote my own stories that reflected diverse characters and their point of view and to cope with the current state of the world. I feel like Octavia E Butler has accomplished what I've been working towards. I'm definitely going to read her books.
Best of luck for your Book!
@cvampaul same here
@@cvampaul
Same here.
I agree
2:57 omg 'make america great again'
Fiction is unfolding in reality
I had to rewind that twice.
Silly Kitty RIGHT
in 1998!
Make America Great Again was originally the slogan of Ronald Reagan. It isn’t new.
I don't think that necessarily means it's talking about Trump. Other leaders have said the same thing.
She is one of my favorite SciFi authors since the 70's. I'm now 70, and I still take out her stories now and then. They were ahead of their time then, and remain relevant today.
I highly suggest her books, you will be absorbed into her landscape.
Ok
What's your favourite?
Octavia Butler was an amazing writer and visionary. Thank you for sharing her wonderful insights and story telling abilties.
I agree 💯
I never heard of a book called "sci-fi superstar Octavia E. Butler" but I'm still gonna read it
exactly
Similar phraseology as saying “why you should read Shakespeare”.
@@DanBrown96 cos he was basic (ha ha get it reading)
Not referring to a specific book but to the works of the the author who is a sci-fi superstar
Dude, even in College, I've never really heard of Octavia Butler and the College I went to has a majority Leftist/Progressive professors.
Because reading is good for you
It is true.
Because every word she ever wrote was fire
True
As of March 2021 - The NASA Perseverance rover has had it's touchdown site named. This site on the planet Mars is officially called; 'Octavia E. Butler Landing'.
So awesome!
"Make America great again" damn it! 😂
Maybe she really was a time traveller :D
😮😶😯😲
People forget that Bill & Hillary used that slogan before Trump did.
@@Republicanboy1 It was used, but not as a slogan for the campaign. Reagan used "Let's Make America Great Again", but it's only slightly different lmao.
@@MsScully25 A mental time traveller for sure.
Wild Seed is my favorite Octavia Butler novel. She was brilliant!
Yeah that series is one of my favorites!
Agreed!!
Mine too! I hate that that group of books wasn't mentioned.
I see it
I like it
I click it
I learn it
Edit: Oh my gosh i didn't expect so get so many likes! Tysm
I want it
I got it
You like my knowledge? Gee thanks, just learned it.
Have another like ;-)
Octavia was such a fantastic writer. Kindred was taught in my English class to learn about the oppressor and the oppressed; thus, to understand in-depth the essence of this book, we had to read the first chapter of Paolo Ferrie, a Brazilian phycologist. What I discovered in those readings was an element key to freeing myself from pain and anger towards people. Only, I realized that it was me who caused the pain and irritation. Because in my childhood, I was oppressed! Octavia Butler and Paolo Ferrie made me understand that we cannot be free from anger or continue to be oppressed as well as become the oppressor until we humanize ourselves.
I am sooo happy they made a Ted Ed video of Octavia E. Butler. I love her books!❤️
So far I've only read _Wild Seed_ and _Fledgling,_ but they are both really good.
YES!!! I love Octavia's 📚! She's right up there with Ursula le Guin and Frank Herbert! Octavia left us too soon.
Her books allow me to read fantastical stories with characters who LOOK LIKE ME.✊🏿
BuddyL because representation is everything!
Sadly, she did. Soon I hope her books will be adapted to film. Few know of her work and legacy as an intellect and great American writer.
I love both those authors too! I'm so excited to explore Octavia's work!!
I’ve only read her short story collection “Bloodchild and other stories”. It’s an amazing collection - each story tackles a different issue or perspective. The titular tale is my favourite but that may be because I read it multiple for Uni.
Definitely a book for anyone who likes sci-fi should check out. Also a good way to dip your toes into the sci-fi genre if it’s not usually your cup of tea.
Just finished Parable of the Talents, it was amazing!
To what if she’s an actual time traveler and she’s sorting us to prepare for these events in the future by reading her books and doing what they did or learning from their mistakes
Why you should read Octavia E. Butler ? Because Ted-ed recommends to do so.
No questions asked. 😊😄
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ز
@jemielnic Why shouldn't we read those, though?
I mean you don't have to agree with them. However reading them would help you get understand why people believe in them.
I love the irony that all TED does is teaching us to have different viewpoints and making us strive to broaden our horizons, yet you flatten it to "do it because TED says so". Please, be wary of the words you use.
"The only lasting truth is change : " God is change !"
Lauren Olamina
She's truly amazing. If this video is quoting form Earthseed then I feel it should say the quartet : All that you touch you change. All that you change changes you. The only lasting truth is change. God is change.
I've learned a new word today, Afrofuturism.
I've been a fan of Octavia for a long time, & I think you should read her stories because she's a superb story-teller, whose characters leap off the page & take you with them on their journey.
I place her with Banks, Le Guin, Murakami & Mieville in my favourite authors list.
Currently reading “kindred”.
I love her stories. She is an inspiration for my stories and has helped me get through some of life’s struggles
Her short story 'the blood child' is genius.
Her voice is so soothing 🖤💜
The animation scares me but also comforts me
one of my fave authors. parable of the sower is amazing. need to check out her other works..
Kindred is my favourite Octavia Butler book.
I looove Octavia Butler. Just started reading the Patternist series again for the 10th time. Probably have read it more times than that. Wonderful writer.
She is the blueprint and Queen of Science Fiction. Her imagination is beyond this universe!
Octavia Butler just predicted the future
Personally it's my first time hearing about this author, thank you for your video, I will deffinitely read her books. We need more diverse writers like her for true equality.
So I just finished reading Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler and it was phenomenal why haven't I heard of her before? I will continue with more from her. Such an excellent writer.
I've read Kindred 3 times. I love that book so much!
I learn so much every day. Thanks for making these videos possible.
Lilith's Brood or, as I knew it, Xenogenesis, was my favorite book in high school. I read it so much that I had to have it rebound (it's a hardback) and it's still one of my all-time favorites. Butler was an amazing writer, and her works should be required reading in school.
Great video!
I love when philosophy and science fiction meet. She is great at that.
I've heard her name mentioned before a sci-fi fiction context, but wow, these texts sound amazing.
Thank you so much for this video. This was awesome. The animation is amazing.
Why? Because she’s a brilliant writer!
yeah and not because of the color of her skin
I am reading kindred right now and can’t believe I haven’t heard of her before last week. She is amazing!!!
Damn, how come I never heard of her? Her work seems as important to literature as it sounds entertaining. (Not that her topics are any fun ya know, slavery, misogyny, racism is not fun at all, but interesting enough to keep someone engaged in reading).
This is why I follow this channel; never heard of her and now I have to read her works; these sound like amazing stories
I absolutely adore Octavia Butler and realize totally that she was a prophet among us. The Parables series, I read back in the late 90s, and they were soooo chilling then, and now they are way too close to our actual reality. Thanks for sharing her with another audience.
*I was just reading about her!*
Oh I'm so excited to start this read. :)
Complete awesomeness, Ayana & Moya!
When is one of her stories going to be brought to the screen!!!!!!!
I finished this book the day you posted the vid! :)
What a stunning animation video!
WOW! She sounds like a visionary! Why isn't she more popular??? I mean, I'm a sci-fi reader and I keep track of most sci-fi books and authors, but I've never heard of her, why is that? Anyways, I'm gonna go check out her works!
The novel, Dawn, LITERALLY blew my mind. I actually felt dizzy considering the concepts, and had to put it down for like a week before I finished reading it. Fledgling, her final work (due to her death) and the part of an unfinished trilogy, is mind-numbing as well. When you think about the atrocities that the little girl had to endure, and the equally horrible choices that her had to make ... I'll just say that the book is heavy.
Have you read Kindred?
@@gva9947 Not yet. If you did, I hope that you really enjoyed it.
*_Octavia E. Butler's work did a greater job than Ghostbusters 2016._*
Sound like it. Truly, she was ahead of her time.
WTF does that have to do with anything?
@@Savannah_Simpson Both are involve female leads in a sci fi/fantasy setting.
From the sounds of it, Butler would've love that version of Ghostbusters.
Just read Kindred. Thanks for the splendid recommendation.
Que vídeo maravilhoso! Já faz um bom tempo que eu venho querendo ler livros dessa autora
I love this book Kindred
Mom got me the graphic novel and I've been hooked ever since
You make the perfect videos for me and everybody else
Interesting, I will read it because the key is the change of the transcendental paradigms. 👌🤗
Scifi is the creative mind of humans, they create the future inside their mind..
Your Favorite Lifecoach *cough* fantasy *cough*
Extraordinary.
Afrofuturism FTW. Happy Birthday Month, Octavia Butler!!
YES NEW BOOK ON MY TBR
I feel I discovered her late unfortunately even though I knew of her work vaguely trying to do a nonfiction myself and she was estranged from me for years but when I embraced her I embraced fully and couragesly because, like her, I discovered my voice in the love of telling my story which I call Visionary/ScienceFact. I miss her.
Sci-fi may be another reality in another dimension.
Well done!
Dont understand..but I appreciate it when its TedEd
I read a lot of non-fiction investing books; however, I also enjoy sci-fi books too just for fun!
When I read "Make America Great Again" in 1998 Parable of the Talents, I audibly gasped
New Ted-Ed video = best part of the day!
I read Clay's Ark for a class a few months back, it's a story about humans slowly losing their humanity to an infectious parasite. I have never had a more unpleasant literary experience, and I mean that in the best way possible. That story was terrifying! Psychological horror honed to surgical precision! I learned a lot from Octavia Butler's work.
...but I don't think I'll be reading any more all that soon. I like to sleep at night!
I love how the example they gave at the start of the video to show us what tough topics she wrote about, has literally one of the easiest answers to it
I’d really like to see The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy as an episode, Anyone else?
Top Video. Adoooooooro.
Parable of the Sower is one of my favorite stories ever written, so glad we read it in college
Great visuals.
My absolute favorite sci fi author! I cried when I learned that she'd died.
Reading is the food for your brain
It was Canadian Independent Bookstores Day today, and I was able to get a copy of the second book of the series mentioend in this video. My first Octavia Butler book, and I'm really excited. I remembered he so well from a Canadian Sci Fi review show "Prisoners of Gravity." from when I was very young. She had such a distint personality and presence. I'm excitd to finally dive into one of her worlds!
Thxs to her I have hw and feel stressed bc im behind 4 weeks worth of work :D
I just finsihed 'Kindred' and 'Parable of the Sower'. Her work is amazing and so immersive. Can't wait to read more of her work.
1:57 - This is scarily accurate.
I’m excited to say I’m teaching “Kindred” next year in my 11th grade class! :)
Thanks TED
These book recommendation videos are great! Maybe you could do one on The Social Cancer/ Touch Me Not / Noli Me Tangere? Just a suggestion
The book we didn't know we needed.
Wow in Parable of the Sower, the main character IS called Lauren and she's on a quest with refugees...Lauryn Hill loved this book according to a song by Talib Kweli. I really need to read Octavia Butler
So so good
I read Kindred in high school. I went to school in Pasadena so it was a must. It really stuck with me & I've been meaning to purchase a copy for myself.
Kindred is an amazing sci-fi book! Highly recommend 🙌🏾
Amnesty.
If you folk want to learn about her, I strongly recommend that short story.
It woke in me so many emotions and feelings that I can't stop thinking about it. Perhaps I'm wrong and this recommendation will fall short from your expectations.
But, since you are here reading these words, I thing you'll be trapped as I was by this story. And you will read it and re-read it with the same pleasure and dread as I did.
Cheers!
I’ve haven’t got a chance to read her work yet, but I’ve heard about her from watching a documentary about Harlan Ellison. They briefly touched on her work which sounded interesting.
Mind blowing
Never heard of her but definetely going to read as soon as possible
Sci fi can open our mind to new things 🔥🔥🔥🔥