The Parable of the Sower
In 2025, with the world descending into madness and anarchy, one woman begins a fateful journey toward a better future. Lauren Olamina and her family live in one of the only safe neighborhoods remaining on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Behind the walls of their defended enclave, Lauren’s father, a preacher, and a handful of other citizens try to salvage what remains of a culture that has been destroyed by drugs, disease, war, and chronic water shortages. While her father tries to lead people on the righteous path, Lauren struggles with hyperempathy, a condition that makes her extraordinarily sensitive to the pain of others. When fire destroys their compound, Lauren’s family is killed and she is forced out into a world that is fraught with danger. With a handful of other refugees, Lauren must make her way north to safety, along the way conceiving a revolutionary idea that may mean salvation for all mankind.
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Fifteen-year-old Lauren Olamina lives behind a high wall in a small Los Angeles cul-de-sac with her Baptist preacher father in a 2024 America that has lost order. Born with hyperempathy, she keeps a private journal called Earthseed and starts to plan for the day the wall falls.
Octavia E. Butler completed two Parable novels: Parable of the Sower (1993) and Parable of the Talents (1998). She planned more but did not complete a third before her death in 2006.
Yes. A graphic novel adaptation by Damian Duffy and John Jennings was published in 2020. A film or TV adaptation has been in development for years.
The Parable of the Sower was written by Octavia E. Butler, published in 1993 by Grand Central Publishing.
The Parable of the Sower is 328 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, The Parable of the Sower takes most readers 5 to 7 hours to finish.
The Parable of the Sower is a standalone novel by Octavia E. Butler, not part of a series.
The Parable of the Sower is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.
