![]() ![]() ![]() Social justice activists in particular are taking an interest in Butler’s work for the way it weaves themes of racism, misogyny and class struggles into dramatic stories about alien abduction, time travel and parallel universes. The book is about a contemporary Black writer who finds herself transported back in time to a 19th-century plantation, where she must confront the horrors of slavery. Her fan base continues to grow as a new generation discovers her 12 novels and short stories – most recently her 1979 novel “Kindred,” the basis for a new series streaming on Hulu. Her work helped define the literary cornerstone of Afrofuturism, then an emerging movement that draws from science fiction and fantasy with a socially conscious bend.īy the time she died of a stroke at age 58 in 2006, Butler had amassed international acclaim among fans of speculative fiction, a combination of science fiction, fantasy and horror. ![]() Butler, one of few African-American authors to become a prominent name in the white-dominated universe of science fiction.īutler featured people of color in battles for control against aliens and hybrid species, opening a world of possibilities to readers who had been excluded from the genre. Before dystopian fiction like “The Hunger Games” and “Divergent” reflected an increasingly diverse society, there was Octavia E. ![]()
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![]() Throughout the first 500 pages of this book, I would sometimes think to myself, “Eh, he’s kinda horrible for doing that, but it was the 1940s, so what can I say.” There were little things that I let slide. An obscenely controlling rapist framed as a love interest. Which brings me to how this book is such a trashfire.Īlexander is the worst. It’s so gruesome, and I think it works great as a book about war rather than a book about romance. However, the atmosphere of the book and the starvation and sickness that the characters endured was so tangible that it was almost unbearable to read at certain points. ![]() The setting is excruciatingly real and well-done, provided that I’m not an expert on Russian WWII history and can’t vouch for the historical accuracy. The first 500 pages of this book set up to be a 3-4 star book. See my original Twitter thread for live reactions/extended thoughts: TW// rape, sexual abusive, violence, controlling partners, domestic abuse, suicide mention ![]() ![]() Nature play is not limited to the playground itself but extends around the school to other elements like the Children’s Garden at our entry, the fort building village by the field and our outdoor classroom table. Picasso Pit-art tables both vertical and horizontal and an art drying line.Rock n Roll Station-the musical feature with a pipe structure and suspended pots and pans and surrounded by tree round seats.The Playhouse Stage-complete with curtains at the back of the playhouse used for unstructured play as well as official musical instruction with our drum circle.Neverland-climbing, balancing on the tightrope, fort building, pretend play with our rowboat.The Messy Room-mud kitchen, digging area and pretend play. ![]() Our playground includes major features, but isn’t limited to: In the process of creating this nature Explore Outdoor Classroom, we’ve nurtured a culture of natural education and exploration that is a truly organic offshoot of our 10 acres of wetlands and woodlands. A group of GHA families and staff came together to create the natural playground funded at our 2015 auction. This is a regular scene on our playground at GHA. Master Chefs are marinating in our mud kitchen, Captain Hook has just invaded Neverland, while Cinderella dances on our playhouse stage. ![]() ![]() ![]() Nurturing the Earth’s Caretakers through Play ![]() ![]() For reasons that even he doesn’t fully understand, however, Will can’t just stop being the Oracle, even when it’s clear that doing so is his best shot to save himself, Hamza, and Hamza’s pregnant wife Miko, both of whom become deeply involved in the Oracle’s undertakings. This endeavor leads to substantial and largely foreseeable consequences, not the least of which is that he’s attracted the attention of the FBI, religious leaders, and a few other folks who would like to know his secret or just generally shut him down. ![]() ![]() Will Dando is a more or less unemployed bassist who wakes up one morning with 108 oddly specific predictions about the future in his head, and when he writes them down, he realizes that the first few were accurate, so with the help of his friend Hamza, he dubs himself the Oracle, sets up a site (called the Site) to publish certain predictions, and sells a few others for a massive profit. It’s weird and improbable and incredibly compelling, with so much velocity to it that I could forgive its faults, and never could put the book down for long. ![]() It sat unpurchased on my wishlist for some time before I gave up and bought it myself, and then tore through the novel’s 400 pages in less than four days. I’m not sure how I first heard about The Oracle Year, the first prose novel from graphic novelist Charles Soule, but I believe it was a positive review rather than a reader recommendation. ![]() |