That was a stark, powerful reality that the gentle conveniences and luxuries of this house, of now, could not touch. The work was harder, the smells and tastes were stronger, the danger was greater, the pain was worse … Rufus’s time demanded things of me that had never been demanded before, and it could easily kill me if I did not meet its demands. Rufus’s time was a sharper, stronger reality. His choice of presenting the 1970s in sepia tones and the 1800s in full-color was brilliant and reminded of how differently Dana processed the two different worlds: There's a frenetic energy to the illustrations that convey the extreme stress that Dana's body is being subjected to. Jennings's style somehow made me feel settled in both the 1970s and 1800s. While the artwork of Kindred is unique to artist John Jennings, the earthiness of the illustrations made me immediately recall that book. The scratchboard illustrations by Brian Pinkney shaped how I visualize the antebellum South ( one of the illustrations). The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural is one of the most memorable books from my childhood book collection. Learning about Butler's kindness and how she made time to mentor a gifted new writer gave me a whole new level of admiration for her! She writes about how Octavia Butler inspired her when she needed it the most. The introduction is written by speculative fiction writer Nnedi Okorafor.

What would you do if you were suddenly pulled into the past and had to find a way to survive? The most potent weapon of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed. My review for the full-length novel is available at this link.

The review below is for the graphic novel adaptation only. John Jennings and Damian Duffy they did a fantastic job of adapting Octavia Butler's story. I'm so glad I did because it ended up being one of my favorites last year! Kindred makes such a great candidate for a graphic novel because there's much dialogue and historical fiction seems to work especially well in the format. The main reason I requested the adaptation was so that I would finally force myself to read the full-length novel. Kindred is the tale of a black woman who is repeatedly transported from her 1970s apartment to antebellum Maryland.

Kindred graphic novel