The events depicted in Octavia Butler's 1993 book Parable of the Sower begin on Saturday, July 20, 2024, or a week from Saturday.
I didn't finish reading it (Libby took it from me bc I didn't finish it in time, and there was a hold on it), and I don't know that I will have time right now. But after reading the first half, and living through 2024, some of the events sound like something that could plausibly happen soon in the real world. For instance, that corporations would own a whole town, and that those company towns are the "safest" places around. I sometimes think about how Jeff Bezos could start a colony and they would all be citizens of Amazon. I could see that happening. Or Elon trying to start a moon colony/nation via Spacex.
Is anyone planning any events on July 20? An inauspicious date to be sure, but I thought it would be meaningful to commemorate the date somehow. It would be cool do a synchronous reading, à la Dracula Daily, but Parable is not written in once- or twice-daily increments like Dracula, and "Earthseed Daily" might not be as satisfying. Spoiler in case people feel like knowing the timeframe of the novel is a spoiler: the entries sometimes have weeks or months in between them, with the last one on Friday, October 1, 2027.
Anyway, rest in peace Olivia, we miss you, and happy reading!
by Acoustic_eels