Parable Finds Place at TSU

Parable of the Sower, by Octavia Butler, explores the life of Lauren Olamina, a 15 year old African-American girl living near Los Angeles in a dystopian near-future.

The book is being provided to the incoming freshmen, faculty and staff free of charge courtesy of Title III grants.

The book will be required in Freshman Orientation courses, and its use will be encouraged across the disciplines as well.

By promoting literacy and introducing students to academic inquiry, our pilot Tiger READ (Read to Educate Across Disciplines) acclimates new students to university studies, culture, and expectations. Choosing a common book for all incoming freshmen students fosters a sense of community within the university. The use of a single book which can be discussed in multiple disciplines, from multiple perspectives, and in diverse class settings also creates an interdisciplinary atmosphere.

These novels take readers into the world of economic, environmental and social chaos that we seem to be creating, and then offer a few solutions.

Octavia Butler was a female American science fiction writer, one of very few African American women in the field. She won both Hugo and Nebula awards. In 1995, she became the first science fiction writer to receive MacArthur Foundation "Genius" Grant.

In 1994, her dystopian novel Parable of the Sower for a Nebula for best novel, an award she finally took home in 1999 for a sequel, Parable of the Talents.