Boundless Press | Parable of the Talents (Parable, 2)

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12 books

Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Feb 6 2025

finishing every book series I'm in the middle of | my series TBR for 2025

What should I read for the first vlog?? 👀

16 books

Posts about this book from across Bindery

Bee's Books\ \ Bailee Russo\ \ • Jun 1

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Get to know me through some of my favorite very specific sub-genres!\ \ Do we share any favorites?\ \ •Q

Get to know me through some of my favorite very specific sub-genres!

Do we share any favorites?

•Queer body horror: Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White Wife Shaped Bodies by Laura Cranehill What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher Providence Girls by Morgan Dante •vengeful vampire romantics: Hungerstone by Kat Dunn Thirst by Marina Yuszczuk Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson Interview with the Vampire TV series A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night film •radical hopefulness The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers The Parable of the Sower & The Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin A Psalm for the Wild-Built & A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers •very niche non-fiction Gathering Moss by Robin Wall Kimmerer Queer Palestine and the Empire of Critique by Sa’ed Atshan Plucked by Rebecca Herzig Abolish Rent by Tracy Rosenthal and Leonardo Vilchis Black in Blues by Imani Perry Rogue Sexuality in Early Modern English Literature by Ari Friedlander •weird genre-benders The Seep by Chana Porter Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield Severance by Ling Ma Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi

#gettoknowme #booktaste #bookrecs #readmorebooks #readingispower

21 books

Kist Reads\ \ Kist\ \ • Jun 1

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Hey hey Sickos, the Monday Update/Weekly Checkpoint is back after a brief hiatus due to day drinking all Memorial Day weekend. Tell me what you've been reading and plan to read and let's boogie!\ \ READING\ \ REVIEW\ \ THE ROMAN EMNPIRE IN CRISIS, 248-260: WHEN THE GODS ABANDONED ROME by PAUL N. PEARSON (historical nonfiction)\ \ Progress: Finished\ \ This attempted to be a mix of academic and popular history and it pulled that off pretty well. I was concerned how interesting Pearson could make this as most historians just blitz through this run. The first half was super strong when working through Philip the Arab and Decius, and the rest wasn't too shabby either. Was not as bored as I thought I'd be and I become obsessed with that scamp Decius, so that's worth somethin'. Falls in the 3.5 - 3.75 range with a yes recommendation for Roman nuts.\ \ PARABLE OF THE TALENTS [EARTHSEED #2] by OCTAVIA E. BUTLER (speculative fiction)\ \ Progress: Finished\ \ I was promised this was bleaker than Parable of the Sower and damn did it deliver on that. I did a full review of those two books on YouTube so I'll keep it brief. Loved it. 5 stars.\ \ EMPIRES OF THE STEPPES: A HISTORY OF THE NOMADIC TRIBES WHO SHAPED CIVILIZATION by KENNETH W. HARL (historical nonfiction)\ \ Progress: 117/410\ \ For the early portions of this, I've been using The Horse, the Wheel, and Language as a supplementary reference because it goes into much greater detail on the archaeological evidence and the development of Proto-Indo-European (PIE) languages. Not that this one isn't packed with detail, it's just much more brisk and sweeping.\ \ I've been irritated by the formatting (which is just massive paragraphs with no subheadings) and how Rick from Walking Dead voice HAAAARL will jump around the timelines within the same topic, but the information is excellent. I loved the section on the Scythians and Xiongnu and as I mentioned yesterday, will be doing some Scythian content regarding their conflicts with the Persians. So basically it's flawed in execution, but great with insight so far.\ \ AUGUSTUS by JOHN WILLIAMS\ \ Progress: 121/305\ \ The only thing that could make this better is if it were a little sluttier, because the Romans, especially the men, were nothing if not enormous, messy sluts. By that I mean I'd love a bit more raunchiness and humanity in these communications between characters. That said, I understand why that's not a realistic ask. This is, after all, a novel assembled from letters, diary entries, and official decrees ("epistolary" is the fancy term), so there's only so much room for that sort of thing. A man can dream though.\ \ Anyway I'm a meme of a man because the least predictable thing has happened; I'm loving it. I wouldn't jump into this without any previous knowledge of the period but if you fw ancient Rome you'll probably love it too.\ \ PREVIEW\ \ Once I finish these I'll likely go right to the Fiction/History Sickos Book Club picks, which will be a re-read of The Spear Cuts Through Water and And AND And the Band Played On.\ \ EVERYTHING ELSE\ \ I finished my Breaking Bad re-watch, and I'm gonna rank the seasons 5 > 4 > 2 > 3 > 1. There's a stretch in those last two seasons that's just f'n elite. I watched El Camino to cap it off and I've been using Better Call Saul as my background show while I rotate between games like Disco Elysium, Old World, and Tropico 6.\ \ My build for Disco Elysium this time around is a communist, druggie, Disco superstar. Old World I'm only just learning as I'm hoping it takes away some of the pain of Civilization VII bombing. Tropico 6 is yet another run through the core missions and DLC as we await a Tropico 7 release date. If you've ever wanted to be a dictator of a small island (and whomst amongst us hasn't?), Tropico is your game.\ \ It's officially Aggressive Cut Szn so if I'm miserable in the Discord just blame it on the 1500 calories a day during the week. K bai\ \ Upgrade for $5 or login

Weekly Checkpoint - What I'm Reading/Watching/Playing/Doing!

6 books

Kist Reads\ \ Kist\ \ • May 31

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[Sickos! The June votes have finished and we are ready to rock on our June picks for the Fiction & History Sickos Book Clubs.\ \ After two rounds of voting and twelve books to choose from, the Fiction Sickos will be reading:\ \ The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez\ \ This is an ambitious and unique standalone, adult fantasy story that ranks among my all-time favorites regardless of genre. This is very much an all-or-nothing type book, but I've found that the people who are able to find their footing early on typically consider it top tier stuff. The reason it can be difficult to get into at first comes down to the 2nd person POV and the storytelling device it uses to make it a story within a story. It's f'n brilliant but it does take getting used to. My advice: don't do this as audio only, at least at first. The best way is to immersion read it (physical + audio) or go straight eyeball reading.\ \

The people suffer under the centuries-long rule of the Moon Throne. The royal family—the despotic emperor and his monstrous sons, the Three Terrors—hold the countryside in their choking grip. They bleed the land and oppress the citizens with the frightful powers they inherited from the god locked under their palace.\ \ But that god cannot be contained forever.\ \ With the aid of Jun, a guard broken by his guilt-stricken past, and Keema, an outcast fighting for his future, the god escapes from her royal captivity and flees from her own children, the triplet Terrors who would drag her back to her unholy prison. And so it is that she embarks with her young companions on a five-day pilgrimage in search of freedom—and a way to end the Moon Throne forever. The journey ahead will be more dangerous than any of them could have imagined.\ \ \ \ This will be a re-read for me but I haven't read it in a few years so I'm pretty jazzed up to give it another go and discuss it with y'all!\ \ The History Sickos will be reading:\ \ And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic by Randy Shilts\ \ This barely edged out Carthage Must Be Destroyed (which I'll probably be re-reading later in the month anyway), and was a suggestion from our comrade Whimsical Judge Theo. I know nothing about it other than the subtitle so here's what's labeled on the tin:\ \ An international bestseller, a nominee for the National Book Critics Circle Award, and made into a critically acclaimed movie, Shilts' expose revealed why AIDS was allowed to spread unchecked during the early 80's while the most trusted institutions ignored or denied the threat. One of the few true modern classics, it changed and framed how AIDS was discussed in the following years.\ \ As always, the discussion forums for these are in our Discord and to unlock those channels you'll need to be at the Sicko plus tiers.\ \ OTHER STUFF...\ \

I recently reviewed Parable of the Sower/Parable of the Talents on YouTube\ \
A Complement of Scoundrels' Kindle version is on sale for $3.99\ \
We believe we've found the perfect audiobook narrator for A Complement of Scoundrels, will update when I can there\ \
Hoping this is the week I can announce the second acquisition for our Kist Reads publishing imprint\ \
Monday Updates will be back tomorrow\ \
Expect some history content regarding my read of Empire of the Steppes soon](https://kistreadsbooks.binderybooks.com/item/lCv1ubxlCAn6nCL0qegG/)

June Fiction/History Sickos Book Club Picks! + Other Stuff

7 books

Kist Reads\ \ Kist\ \ • May 28

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\ \ Upgrade for $5 or login](https://kistreadsbooks.binderybooks.com/item/qWpdpL1LPQyVJM6iIbog/)

(EARLY ACCESS VIDEO) Parable of the Sower/Parable of the Talents Review!

2 books

Left Unread Books\ \ Michael LaBorn\ \ • May 18

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I think this book is going to change the world. Please be a part of it.

5 books

Kist Reads\ \ Kist\ \ • May 18

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Sickos! I'm back from BookNet Fest in Orlando and ready to give y'all the goods with this Monday Reading Update. Let me know what you've been reading and plan on reading this week in the comments and let's boogie!\ \ READING\ \ REVIEW\ \ LONDON FALLING: A MYSTERIOUS DEATH IN A GILDED CITY & A FAMILY'S SEARCH FOR TRUTH by PATRICK RADDEN KEEFE (narrative historical nonfiction)\ \ Progress: Finished\ \ My opinion from last week still applies here as the second half didn't alter my view of it much. I still prefer the stakes/subject matter of Empire of Pain and Say Nothing, I still found the mystery bit to be a bit gimmicky but engaging (big true crime fans may feel differently), and it was still a solid, superbly researched and woven together read that I quite enjoyed. I did love the quote "three bullshit artists, selling air" and felt that could've been part of a great subtitle.\ \ The History Sickos loved this once based on the reviews I see in the Discord, and while I'm a touch lower than their consensus at 4.0 stars, PRK remains an auto-buy author.\ \ WE DO NOT PART by HAN KANG (historical fiction)\ \ Progress: 237/256\ \ I went back and re-read the first two chapters of this one as I was surprised by how lyrical Kang went with the prose here. Maybe that's because I haven't read The White Book, which is supposed to be her most poetic. I'd wager We Do Not Part sits between The White Book and Human Acts re: lyrical prose and emotional, historical devastation, but instead of feeling like a mash-up, it's still very much doing its own thing. This really started to click for me in the second half and I feel much more connected to it all so I'm glad I stuck with it. So close to the end so you'll hear more about my experience with this next update!\ \ CARTHAGE'S OTHER WARS: CARTHAGINIAN WARFARE OUTSIDE THE 'PUNIC WARS' AGAINST ROME by DEXTER HOYOS (academic historical nonfiction)\ \ Progress: 115/192\ \ Didn't make much progress on this but I am enjoying intentionally slowing things down for this academic style of book. It will likely be my priority while I'm lounging on the coach again now that I'm home from Orlando. While out of town though my go to earball listen was the Fall of Civilizations episode on Carthage. I'm getting re-obsessed with this topic and may make a YouTube video out of all the stuff floating around my brain ball about it.\ \ PREVIEW\ \ Haven't budged much on the next reads since last week, so Parable of the Talents will definitely be up next, The Roman Empire in Crisis will be the next academic historical nonfiction, and I'm feeling the urge to re-read the excellent Carthage Must Be Destroyed but I may throw that in the next History Sickos vote to see if y'all wanna do that with me.\ \ PUBLISHING IMPRINT NEWS\ \ Any minute now I'm hoping that an email hits that gives me the final green light on our second acquisition. I'll have some cool stuff for A Complement of Scoundrels posted here and on social media on Thursday, but also we are currently doing bundle giveaways for ACoS, those details are here.\ \ EVERYTHING ELSE\ \ Today is the last day to enter the giveaway for The Devils by Joe Abercrombie!\ \ Beaking Bad is still my go to re-watch right now because old dog new tricks and all, we're up to S4E6. I've also been catching up on Daredevil with the eldest. Last night we watched a couple episodes that we're pretty damn good plus the Punisher special which was insanely bonkers.\ \ As I mentioned, I was in Orlando this past Friday/Saturday for BookNet Fest, which was an absolutely blast. I felt I did well on my three panels, game night was a hoot, and the send-off party was all good vibes. Can't wait to go back next year.\ \ While I was in Orlando I snuck off for a quick climbing session and lemme tell ya, I feel good about the grading at my home gym because this one felt much more commercial and soft. I was flashing V4's no problem followed by fighting for my life on V4's this morning at my local (sent 'em tho!).\ \ Upgrade for $5 or login

Weekly Review/Preview - What I'm Reading/Watching/Playing/Doing!

8 books

Kist Reads\ \ Kist\ \ • May 11

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Sickos! Monday's are for updates so let me know what book cheeks you're spreading this week (or what you finished last week) in the comments and let's get to what I've been up to..\ \ READING\ \ REVIEW\ \ PARABLE OF THE SOWER - [Parable #1] by OCTAVIA E. BUTLER (dystopian speculative fiction)\ \ Progress: Finished\ \ I picked up Parable of the Talents last week while finishing this, so that should tell you how much I loved our Fiction Sickos pick for this month. This is a grimdark, dystopian fan's dream, and the Discord forum was full of people commenting on how it just continues to get more dark and bleak. It's unrelenting; at no point does anything feel safe. I gotta write up my full review (I may do it w/Talents included) but yeah, this was exactly what I'd hoped it would be and I'm jazzed for Talents (which I heard is, somehow, darker).\ \ LONDON FALLING: A MYSTERIOUS DEATH IN A GILDED CITY & A FAMILY'S SEARCH FOR TRUTH by PATRICK RADDEN KEEFE (narrative historical nonfiction)\ \ Progress: 168/331\ \ PRK just has a knack for weaving together multiple angles of a story and making it all work and flow. While I think I prefer stakes and subject matter of Empire of Pain and Say Nothing at this point (I'm not sure I care yet why a narcissistic, pathological liar ate it in the Thames), it's still fun watching PRK lay out this web of deception and everything around it. I do feel like PRK is leaning into the mystery bit of it with the way he's slow dripping info that could've been revealed earlier. Either way it's still a very solid read at this point and the final half may change my mind on the stated issues.\ \ CARTHAGE'S OTHER WARS: CARTHAGINIAN WARFARE OUTSIDE THE 'PUNIC WARS' AGAINST ROME by DEXTER HOYOS (academic historical nonfiction)\ \ Progress: 93/192\ \ The Punic Wars are an obsession of mine but how Carthage became a superpower in the Western Mediterranean leading up to that often gets breezed through. Just finished their near 40 years of jockeying and warfare in Sicily with the tyrant Dionysius I of Syracuse (what a scamp). Despite several dramatic swings, it amounted to not much changing in re: territory. Ultimately though Carthage achieved its main goal of maintaining the east/west divide in Sicily, preventing Dionysius from dominating it. The next section covers their conflict with the fratricidal, tyrant-slayer Timoleon of Corinth who, IIRC, hail mary ass pounds all of Sicily.\ \ I shared a snippet with in the history/nonfic Discord channel yesterday as I thought this Nicomo Cosca-coded moment was humorous:\ \ \ \ WE DO NOT PART by HAN KANG (historical fiction)\ \ Progress: 43/256\ \ Super early doors but I'm not surprised to already feel like I'm in a fever dream with a Kang book (see: The Vegetarian). This ties into the Jeju Massacre where the South Korean government, along with support from the U.S. military, violently suppressed an uprising. So I expect it to also feel somewhat like Human Acts (which was about the later Gwangju Uprising) too as we get further in while still having this eerie, poetic quality to it.\ \ PREVIEW\ \ I haven't given much thought to what's next other than Butler's Talents but I have sampled some of The Roman Empire in Crisis and may make that my next nonfiction read. I'm curious how Mike Duncan will be able to mold this same period into something for a general audience because there's so many challenges around writing a complete narrative around it. I trust 'em though.\ \ PUBLISHING IMPRINT NEWS\ \ Getting close to knowing more about a second potential book acquisition, should know how it's trending sometime this week.\ \ UPDATE: As soon as I published this, I checked my email, and OUR SECOND BOOK IS A GO! Final terms are agreed upon but the contract is still being finalized so I have to keep all the details confidential, but still, HUZZAH! Can't wait to share everything about this one with y'all!\ \ Also, have you pre-ordered A Complement of Scoundrels yet?! And if you missed it, yes, the audiobook is in development!\ \ EVERYTHING ELSE\ \ I put on Breaking Bad in the background as I started reading the Carthage book and now I'm already at S3E3. So, I guess we're doing a second re-watch. It's one of those shows, like Mad Men or Game of Thrones, that I can randomly put on and gobble through it. Game of Thrones is kind of on hold as I usually watch it at night (don't need the wee emperor seeing all the floppy dong and breasts flapping about every 5 minutes) and despite my Flyers predictably getting bounced by the Hurricanes, I'm still all in on hockey playoffs.\ \ Hope all the moms out there had a wonderful Mother's Day! Me and the boys got a Switch 2 for my wife so she's now hooked on that, and I may sneak in some game time on it this week.\ \ Got my ass kicked two sessions in a row at the climbing gym but my finger tendons are recovered and I'll hopefully be back to projecting more V4/V5 later this week.\ \ FINAL REMINDER that I'll be at BookNet Fest in Orlando, May 15-16! Get your tickets and swing through!\ \ Upgrade for $5 or login

Weekly Review/Preview - What I'm Reading/Watching/Playing/Doing!

9 books

Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Jun 27 2025

10 books

Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Jun 19 2025

i love this tag so much! enjoy!

14 books

Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Apr 7 2025

the 13 books i read in march | monthly reading wrapup + reading stats

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faqs 📇 how do you pronounce your name? JEN-nuh-nee (like a knee!)

sub count: 📊 103,180

12 books

Left Unread Books\ \ Michael LaBorn\ \ • Apr 6 2025

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Authors, I want to publish your books!

Pitchfest starts in three days and I am VERY determined to find our next publication! So, to help you help us both, here is a detailed look at exactly what I'm looking for.

18 books

Left Unread Books\ \ Michael LaBorn\ \ • Mar 24 2025

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Authors: It is Pitchfest time! Bring me your books!

There is another Pitchfest quickly approaching and I want to make sure you have all of the information you need to participate! So authors, check this out for a list of the type of manuscripts I am looking for! And good luck everyone!!!

24 books

Left Unread Books\ \ Michael LaBorn\ \ • Feb 26 2025

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Wrestle

I am posting this a little late because it took me some time to sit and process what I was writing before I was ready to share it with you. But here are my thoughts as I sit with the heaviness of today. (TW: systemic oppression, death, racism)

4 books

Left Unread Books\ \ Michael LaBorn\ \ • Feb 24 2025

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GIVEAWAY: Parable of the Sower

"Octavia Butler was not just imagining how bad things could get. She was looking at the history of America and predicting, with uncomfortable accuracy, exactly how bad it is designed to get. " - Parable may be one of the most impactful books you will ever read. See below for details on how to win a copy!

2 books

Bookish AfroLatina's Library\ \ Gabby\ \ • Feb 20 2025

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This Presidents' Day Book Reviews: Parable of the Sower & Parable of the Talents

This Presidents' Day, I’m highlighting two books that will have a hold on me for a long time: The Parable duology by Octavia E. Butler. She wrote these books in 1993 & 1998 but they begin in 2024 w/ Lauren Olamina, a Black American teen w/ hyper-empathy. Lauren’s America is plagued by extreme poverty, disease, addiction, corruption, & religious zealots. Through all of this Lauren writes that she doesn’t believe in her father’s god anymore. She believes that “God is Change.” I think it’s important that y’all read both books because Butler’s vision is clearer by the end of book 2.

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler Sometimes I think about how my country (the U.S) might fall and this isn’t far off from that. After all, Butler’s predictions in this book were inspired by the patterns of our country’s priorities and behaviors for a few hundred years. Butler stressed that this is the future she saw coming if we (as a people) did nothing to change those behaviors. If you choose to read this series, please do so with care. The plot starts very slowly but it picks up about 1/3 of the way in. My only qualm is that I wish the lead wasn’t a teen.

Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler Parable of the Sower was heartbreaking but Parable of the Talents always devastating. Despite the heartache, I really loved the way Butler depicted what a small community focused on mutual aid could look like. This gave me some hope, like a candle in the dark. Lauren’s drive for her purpose was inspiring and maddening all at once. It was an interesting choice for Butler to have her daughter be the narrator for much of the book. This series will definitely stay with me in the years to come.

#Bookstagram #BlackBooks #SpeculativeFiction #BookReviews #BookRecommendations #BlackHistoryMonth #BlackFuturism

[ID in comments]

2 books

Left Unread Books\ \ Michael LaBorn\ \ • Feb 19 2025

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Fearful Musings as I Read The Reformatory

I started reading The Reformatory last night and it has me thinking about the future. Heads up, this is a bit of a heavier read. So go in with that understanding.

3 books

Bookish AfroLatina's Library\ \ Gabby\ \ • Feb 19 2025

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Welcome to my Library!

23 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Feb 9 2025

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book recs for the mental space you need

however you most want to engage with reading right now - I’ve got you covered. 💕

📚 books mentioned: - Quietly Hostile by Samantha Irby - Pet by Akwaeke Emezi - Bitter by Akwaeke Emezi - Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler - Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler

#funnybooks #fantasybooks #horrorbooks #dystopianbooks #bookrecommendations #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #bookstagram @faberbooks @faberbooks.us @randomhousekids @grandcentralpub

5 books

Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Feb 6 2025

finishing every book series I'm in the middle of | my series TBR for 2025

What should I read for the first vlog?? 👀

16 books

Left Unread Books\ \ Michael LaBorn\ \ • Jan 6 2025

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Writing From The Human Experience

Witnessing violence, while eye-opening, is not enough to really incentivize people to pursue change. They also have to see the humanity of the people experiencing that violence. And that needs to be reflected in our writing.

17 books

Left Unread Books\ \ Michael LaBorn\ \ • Dec 19 2024

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Octavia Butler saw Elon Musk coming, and we need to talk about it!

Let's talk about company towns and how the great Ms Octavia Butler was an oracle for our (being Black people) ancestors.

9 books

Left Unread Books\ \ Michael LaBorn\ \ • Nov 30 2024

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The Secret Power of Literature... and spoiler alert, it's not escapism.

Escapism is lovely, but that is not what reading does for me. So I thought I would share a little bit about one of the biggest things I get out of reading.

***Trigger warnings: grief, slavery, trauma, parentlessness, broken family, racism***

20 books

Left Unread Books\ \ Michael LaBorn\ \ • Nov 26 2024

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How white authors are ruining dystopian literature

I am being criticized again for asking white authors not to erase Black people in their stories. So... let's talk about it. What is the point of dystopian literature and how are white authors failing us all?

13 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Nov 16 2024

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read for my birthday!!

happy birthday to me; read these books because i said so (or face my wrath).

17 books

Left Unread Books\ \ Michael LaBorn\ \ • Nov 9 2024

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[Book bans are on the rise. And if there is one thing we can count on, it is that a Trump presidency will only make America's problems worse. Everything we know about Project 2025 and their plans for education, race and gender studies, and the continued suppression of any progressive thinking, we can pretty comfortably guess that book banning is going to be on the rise.\ \ And this isn't shocking. Literature/art always plays a part in a people's liberation. Always.\ \ Obviously our hope is that our worst fears won't be realized. But in the now, we need to buckle up under the assumption that they will be. So here are some of the books I think you should get onto your shelf now. I have a list of fiction books that will help you to wrestle with the world as we know it and to dream about what it can be, and a list of non-fiction that will give you practical and actionable ideas about how to prepare to fight for a better world.\ \ FICTION\ \ Parable of the Sower: When global climate change and economic crises lead to social chaos in the early 2020s, California becomes full of dangers, from pervasive water shortage to masses of vagabonds who will do anything to live to see another day. Fifteen-year-old Lauren Olamina lives inside a gated community with her preacher father, family, and neighbors, sheltered from the surrounding anarchy. In a society where any vulnerability is a risk, she suffers from hyperempathy, a debilitating sensitivity to others' emotions. Precocious and clear-eyed, Lauren must make her voice heard in order to protect her loved ones from the imminent disasters her small community stubbornly ignores. But what begins as a fight for survival soon leads to something much more: the birth of a new faith . . . and a startling vision of human destiny.\ **Parable of the Talents: **In 2032, Lauren Olamina has survived the destruction of her home and family, and realized her vision of a peaceful community in northern California based on her newly founded faith, Earthseed. The fledgling community provides refuge for outcasts facing persecution after the election of an ultra-conservative president who vows to "make America great again." In an increasingly divided and dangerous nation, Lauren's subversive colony--a minority religious faction led by a young black woman--becomes a target for President Jarret's reign of terror and oppression. Years later, Asha Vere reads the journals of a mother she never knew, Lauren Olamina. As she searches for answers about her own past, she also struggles to reconcile with the legacy of a mother caught between her duty to her chosen family and her calling to lead humankind into a better future.\ **Kindred: **Dana’s torment begins when she suddenly vanishes on her 26th birthday from California, 1976, and is dragged through time to antebellum Maryland to rescue a boy named Rufus, heir to a slaveowner’s plantation. She soon realizes the purpose of her summons to the past: protect Rufus to ensure his assault of her Black ancestor so that she may one day be born. As she endures the traumas of slavery and the soul-crushing normalization of savagery, Dana fights to keep her autonomy and return to the present.\ \ Tender is the Flesh: His wife has left him, his father is sinking into dementia, and Marcos tries not to think too hard about how he makes a living. After all, it happened so quickly. First, it was reported that an infectious virus has made all animal meat poisonous to humans. Then governments initiated the “Transition.” Now, eating human meat—“special meat”—is legal. Marcos tries to stick to numbers, consignments, processing. Then one day he’s given a gift: a live specimen of the finest quality. Though he’s aware that any form of personal contact is forbidden on pain of death, little by little he starts to treat her like a human being. And soon, he becomes tortured by what has been lost—and what might still be saved.\ **Fledgling: **Octavia E. Butler's final novel is the story of an apparently young, amnesiac girl whose alarmingly unhuman needs and abilities lead her to a startling conclusion: She is in fact a genetically modified, 53-year-old vampire. Forced to discover what she can about her stolen former life, she must at the same time learn who wanted—and still wants—to destroy her and those she cares for, and how she can save herself.\ \ Broken Earth Trilogy: A season of endings has begun. It starts with the great red rift across the heart of the world's sole continent, spewing ash that blots out the sun. It starts with death, with a murdered son and a missing daughter. It starts with betrayal, and long dormant wounds rising up to fester. This is the Stillness, a land long familiar with catastrophe, where the power of the earth is wielded as a weapon. And where there is no mercy.\ \ NON-FICTION\ \ Let This Radicalize You: Longtime organizers and movement educators Mariame Kaba and Kelly Hayes examine some of the political lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the convergence of mass protest and mass formations of mutual aid, and consider what this confluence of power can teach us about a future that will require mass acts of care, rescue and defense, in the face of both state violence and environmental disaster.\ **We Grow the World Together: **In We Grow the World Together, abolitionists and organizers Maya Schenwar and Kim Wilson bring together a remarkable collection of voices revealing the complex tapestry of ways people are living abolition in their daily lives through parenting and caregiving. Ranging from personal narratives to policy-focused analysis to activist chronicles, these writers highlight how abolition is essential to any kind of parenting justice.\ **Defund: **A collection of illuminating interviews with leading abolitionist organizers and thinkers, reflecting on the uprisings of summer 2020, the rise of #defund, and the work ahead of bridging the divide between reform and abolition.\ \ Unbuild Walls: Unbuild Walls dives into US immigration policy and its relationship to mass incarceration, from the last forty years up to the present, showing how the prison-industrial complex and immigration enforcement are intertwined systems of repression. Incorporating historical and legal analyses, Shah’s personal experience as an organizer, as well as stories of people, campaigns, organizations, and localities that have resisted detention and deportation, Shah assesses the movement’s strategies, challenges, successes, and shortcomings. Featuring a foreword by Amna A. Akbar, Unbuild Walls is an expansive and radical intervention, bridging the gaps between movements for immigrant rights, racial justice, and prison abolition.\ **Freedom is a Constant Struggle: **Reflecting on the importance of black feminism, intersectionality, and prison abolitionism, Davis discusses the legacies of previous liberation struggles, from the Black Freedom Movement to the South African anti-Apartheid movement. She highlights connections and analyzes today’s struggles against state terror, from Ferguson to Palestine.\ **The Will to Change: **Everyone needs to love and be loved—including men. But to know love, men must be able to look at the ways in which patriarchal culture keeps them from understanding themselves. In The Will to Change, bell hooks provides a compassionate guide for men of all ages and identities to understand how to be in touch with their feelings, and how to express versus repress the emotions that are a fundamental part of who we are.\ \ Hope in the Dark: Hope in the Dark was written to counter the despair of radicals at a moment when they were focused on their losses and had turned their back to the victories behind them and the unimaginable changes soon to come. In it, she makes a radical case for hope as a commitment to act in a world whose future remains uncertain and unknowable.\ \ They Were her Property: Bridging women's history, the history of the South, and African American history, this book makes a bold argument about the role of white women in American slavery. Historian Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers draws on a variety of sources to show that slave‑owning women were sophisticated economic actors who directly engaged in and benefited from the South's slave market. Because women typically inherited more slaves than land, enslaved people were often their primary source of wealth. Not only did white women often refuse to cede ownership of their slaves to their husbands, they employed management techniques that were as effective and brutal as those used by slave‑owning men. White women actively participated in the slave market, profited from it, and used it for economic and social empowerment. By examining the economically entangled lives of enslaved people and slave‑owning women, Jones-Rogers presents a narrative that forces us to rethink the economics and social conventions of slaveholding America.\ \ Hood Feminism: Today's feminist movement has a glaring blind spot, and paradoxically, it is women. Mainstream feminists rarely talk about meeting basic needs as a feminist issue, argues Mikki Kendall, but food insecurity, access to quality education, safe neighborhoods, a living wage, and medical care are all feminist issues. All too often, however, the focus is not on basic survival for the many, but on increasing privilege for the few. That feminists refuse to prioritize these issues has only exacerbated the age-old problem of both internecine discord and women who rebuff at carrying the title. Moreover, prominent white feminists broadly suffer from their own myopia with regard to how things like race, class, sexual orientation, and ability intersect with gender. How can we stand in solidarity as a movement, Kendall asks, when there is the distinct likelihood that some women are oppressing others?\ \

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Books you should buy while you still can

We are all concerned that with a second Trump presidency, we are going to be facing a massive rise in book bans. So I have put together a list of books that I think everyone should read in light of the fights ahead of us. Check them out and grab whatever you think will benefit you!

16 books

Left Unread Books\ \ Michael LaBorn\ \ • Oct 26 2024

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Book Review: Fledgling

Fledgling is one of the most uncomfortable books I have ever read. But it was written by Octavia Butler, what did I expect? However, in true Octavia fashion, it also challenged my worldview and made me really wrestle with the fabric of our society. And here are my thoughts. My very long-winded and detailed thoughts, lol! Enjoy! Click the link down below to read my full review!

13 books

Left Unread Books\ \ Michael LaBorn\ \ • Oct 24 2024

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The five most disturbing books I read this year!

I don't know about you, but I have a habit of falling in love with the most disturbing books. And even more troubling... I have made a habit of making sure everyone in my life has read them! So here are the five most disturbing books I read in 2024.

7 books

Scribe Tribe\ \ Jahid\ \ • Aug 6 2024

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Top 10 Books of 2024 pt.1

5 books

Left Unread Books\ \ Michael LaBorn\ \ • Feb 25 2024

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It will come as no surprise to you that Black and brown people don't trust the police. We say it regularly. Especially those of us who live in poorer and/or less advantaged neighborhoods. And that is for many reasons. Chief among them being how often the police are among our top oppressors. But this book explores this thought through an even deeper lense. Because even outside of police brutality, there are consequences to relying on any government agency to take care of you.\ \ One of the things you notice right away in this book is that, due to a series of circumstances, poorer neighboods in this post-climate disaster world have become VERY dangerous. Their neighborhoods are walled off from outsiders, and when residents need to leave, they do so in large groups and armed to their teeth. Because the risk of being robbed, assaulted or murdered is incredibly high.\ \ Here's the thing... for them, the cost of relying on the police is death. If they leave their safety into the hands of the city, they may be avenged. But they will never be protected. And that distinction not only matters, but it applies to the real world as well.\ \ For a lot of Amercians, you can rely on the fact that the police will respond to deter people from harming you. But the more removed you are from the privilege of wealth, the less that is true. In neighborhoods where poverty is the norm, where lack and hunger is everyone's experience, people are operating from desperation. From need. And in spaces where need is the norm, this universal truth is abundantly clear: \\ only community keeps you safe.**\ \ Black activists often comment on how white americans lack funamental community. How everyone is raised to think individualistically. To worry only about themselves and to prioritize only their own needs. But there is no safety in that. Which means that it is to white american's disadvantage to dismantle the systems of power they benefit from, because they often lack the fundamental community that would help them survive without those systems.\ \ I share this observation because I think one of the important things this book does for people is it forces them to consider how important community is to our survival as a species. And furthermore...how important it is in developing a future where marginalized people are truly free.\ \ Relying on the government, the city, the police, on policies and systems... it will never actually protect us. The only thing that will is community.\ \ \ \ \ \

Parable of the Sower: Community is our protector

There are consequences to trusting your government with your safety. This post will explore that thought briefly through the lens of this book.

2 books

Left Unread Books\ \ Michael LaBorn\ \ • Feb 12 2024

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Is Parable of the Sower better than Handmaids Tale

Replying to @Revelin Dares #booktok #blackbooktok #readwithmichael #writewithmichael #readingispolitical #writingispolitical #bipocauthors #indiebooks #octaviabutler #parableofthesower #handmaidstale

3 books