A Few Rules for Predicting the Future: An Essay

There really is no need to introduce the great Octavia E. Butler. One of the mount profound science fiction authors of our time, she never once shied away from the horrors of dystopia, especially from the point of view of the marginalized, who have always and will always suffer the most."I didn't make up the problems. All I did was look around at the problems we're neglecting now and give them about 30 years to grow into full-fledged disasters."With everything going on in the world in 2024, we all need the voice of Butler to give us a moment of clarity and reflection. While this essay is available online for free, this book edition is an excellent gift for a graduate. Butler dives into how knowing history and hearing the voices of the past can shape the fictional world of the future that she's known for.

I really liked this short speech from Octavia Butler. She did a good job answering about how she writes the future. I’ve read most of her books so it was great reading something new since she died.

Octavia Butler is one of the authors that brought me to love reading. Her writing style is so approachable, yet developed in a way that you know you will learn something. This reigns true even in this short essay. Butler drops many gems to educate the reader on the power of the thought, her writing and creative process, and the importance of predicting what it is to come, even when it is not as black and white as it seems. The art alongside this essay is stunning and I could easily see this being an amazing conversation starter or coffee table book in my home.