A Few Rules for Predicting the Future: An Essay by Octavia E. Butler (Author) and Manzel Bowman (Illustrator)
Octavia E. Butler (1947-2006) was a renowned African American sci-fi writer, author of Parable of the Sower, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year in 1993, and Parable of the Talents, winner of the Nebula Award for the best science fiction novel in 1995. She also received a MacArthur Genius Grant and PEN West Lifetime Achievement Award for her work.
Her prose is simply fantastic, and I would instantly gift this slim volume to any teenager interested in science fiction and social studies. It’s one that I would take to high school to read in class and discuss, one that deserves special attention, particularly in this day and age.
Originally published in Essence magazine in the year 2000, it offers four simple rules to predict the future:
Learn From the Past
“Trying to foretell the future without studying history is like trying to learn to read without bothering to learn the alphabet.”
“We forget history at our peril.”
Respect the Law of Consequences
“I don’t believe we can do anything at all without side effects—also known as unintended consequences.”
Be Aware of Your Perspective
“Superstition, depression, and fear play major roles in our efforts at prediction.”
Count on the Surprises
“No matter how hard we try to foresee the future, there are always these surprises. The only safe prediction is that there always will be.”
Interested in all the things that captured people′s imaginations in her time, she reflects on our advancement to moon traveling, how the signs of rising fascism were neglected in soon-to-be Nazi Germany, and how fear and wishful thinking are always bad counselors. What is yet to come will be unpredictable, but we can always hope and prepare for a better tomorrow.
Afrofuturist illustrations by Manzel Bowman are a wonderful addition to this illustrated essay.
A Few Rules for Predicting the Future: An Essay is available on June 18, 2024.
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Pages: Hardcover 56 Pages
ISBN: 9781797229058
