KUOW Book Club's December pick reflects on the life of Octavia Butler, mother of Afrofuturism

The KUOW Book Club is reading "Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler" by Susana M. Morris this month.

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"Positive Obsession" is a beautiful biography of Butler that not only explores her work, but also the key historical and social moments that shaped it — and the literary styles Butler herself inspired.

Morris considers Butler's life and legacy through the real movements that influenced her imaginative writing, including the Civil Rights Movement, Black Power, women's liberation, LGBTQ rights, and more. Throughout her life, informed by these movements, Butler envisioned better futures for humanity, centering Black women as pillars of strength and wisdom. Whether they were shape-shifting immortals or young vampires, Butler's characters fought the status quo, challenging gender norms and demanding better from the world around them.

But what drove her? What made Butler attuned to the moment in ways other writers were not? In "Positive Obsession," Morris will show us that Butler felt she simply had to write.

Here's the reading schedule:

• Read the first four chapters by December 15.
• Finish the book by December 29.

Morris has kindly signed on for an interview, which I'll share at the end of our reading. As per usual, I’ll send out a newsletter at the halfway point and when we finish the book.

Subscribe to the book club newsletter here, and join the conversation by emailing me directly at kcampbell@kuow.org.

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