Parable of the Sower… isnt prophecy, I hope, shetoldan interviewer back in 2000.
The society I portray in [this] book is pretty much broken…
I hope, of course, that we will be smarter than that.
A cupid statue stands in the rubble of a home destroyed by the Eaton Fire on Jan. 8, 2025, in Altadena, California.Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Nearby Altadena, a historically largely Black neighborhood, has essentially been erased from the map.
And yet the story feels hopeful to Whiteside.
Its more so, How do you survive when the world is going to hell?
People say Butler is prophetic because she setsParable of the Sowerin 2024.
Shes only off by a few months.
Its owner, Nikki High, opened the store in 2023 as a way to honor Butler.
I was hooked, she says.
There was the wall of classics, featuring Black writers from Zora Neale Hurston to Toni Morrison.
This was a woman who was very well researched and educated.
Whiteside shares a similar sentiment.
Since the fires broke out in Los Angeles, Whiteside has gone viral for her teachings on Butler.
Although I like teaching, I think my approach is more for the community.
Im from the hood.
Im not for the privileged or the ivory tower.
I am for the people.
Thinking about Butlers work and education, you’re able to be both and.
You dont have to choose.
Lets get into this Butler series, Whiteside says to herTik Tokclass of nearly 30,000.
First and foremost, you want to getWild Seed, that bookis set in 1680 in West Africa.
This series expands in four centuries, Whiteside says.
The Parable series comes after.
