the scariest book we ever read. (with

Kick back, make a tea and hear about the scariest book we've ever read... Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
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[@ricardaseven6083]

Jack saying "if the world changed to this point it can be changed to the next point" hit me so hard with so much sudden hope for the world and I really wanna thank you for that

[@leenanorms]

Xxxx

[@laracerruti9886]

Two of my favorite youtubers collabing!?! I need more! :)

[@lavender_evie]

Same thought here!!

[@alexy28210]

Leena, in America Magnums are condoms 🤣🤣🤣

[@leenanorms]

lol wait WHAT

[@alexy28210]

@@leenanorms excuse me. A condom size actually 😂😂

[@thenopedetective]

That's what I thought she meant until she clarified 😂. It fit perfectly!

I mean, it still kinda works? 🤣

[@juliegeorge3808]

Aren't they also ice cream bars?

[@ruby7706]

if anyone wants a Black woman's perspective and just wants to branch out into booktube more, ONYX Pages does an incredible bookclub centering Afrofuturism & she has slow read live streams and then discussions of books by Octavia E Butler (and many more Black authors!) i've learnt so much from her!

[@ashandtheink]

adrienne maree brown (activist/author) also has a podcast called Octavia's Parables that offers chapter by chapter analysis.

[@ruby7706]

@@ashandtheink wow thank u for that! i didnt know & i read her work and have enjoyed it :)

[@Ana-ks3je]

So happy about this collab!!!

[@Insanepurpleperson]

love this series so much, my method is watching the video and getting interested in the book, go and read the book, then come back and rewatch the video.

[@Sewnover]

I love Octavia Butler and her writing style. Interestingly enough, the second book is written both from the perspective of Lauren and her daughter. Lots of suffering so you don’t want to read it when you’re already down

[@whateverlikeda]

What a cozy talk for a dystopian book reading! 😁❤️

[@strongfemalereads7930]

I read this book about two years ago and I think of it almost every day (but, hated it at the time and raged against it in my book club). I’ve actually been meaning to reread it because I think about it so often these days. The part of her hyperempathy that I found interesting was her need to hide it because it threatened her personal safety. There’s something to her need to protect herself against people knowing that she’s feeling so deeply that I find haunting.

[@GrainneH984]

Funny that you mentioned handmaid's tale and station eleven because I read all 3 of these books as part of a module in college. My professor obviously thought they were similar as well!

[@elderflower2133]

I read parable of the sower for my dystopian fiction class this year and our lecturer mentioned that because of this book she made a grab-bag in case of an apocalypse. I'm considering doing the same, honestly.

[@lauragibbons1951]

I honestly don't know if I should read this book or not 😅 I don't want to feel bad but it sounds really good too

[@maggiescarlet]

I really wanna watch this now, but I've reserved this book at the library so I must wait until I get it and have read it!!! Commenting for engagement anyways, really love both of your videos!

[@maggiescarlet]

Finally got it last week and just finished it!! So pumped for this video, and also to borrow the sequel because omg this book ...

[@johannagraf1009]

Omg I loved this! So excited for the video with Melanie Murphy!!

[@djunaskye6220]

YESS I've been waiting for this video! I already read The Parable of the Sower in preparation and I really liked it so now I'm reading part two, The Parable of the Talents!

[@Mysterytour7]

I read The Parable of the Sower and Talents the year before last. Distressingly prescient in a number of ways. Once I’ve finished the Patternist series and Bloodchild I’ll have read all of her fiction. It’s been so interesting to see the themes that crop up in her work.

[@Michelle-bk5uq]

I read the book last year and am glad I read it. Agree it's not for everyone. I'm American and think how the book describes the state of civilization or lack thereof in 2024 is totally possible here. With billionaires and mega-corporations hoarding the wealth, violence and mass shootings on the rise, the 'us vs them' mentality...idk, I fear for our countries future.

[@jmsl910]

you & every person whose eyes are open...😳

[@samiraschwannecke678]

i am happy to get my first impression of Jack in this collab. What a nice lil chat that was.

[@jmsl910]

jack is a gem! i strenuously suggest you follow him!

[@Carmen-cl5ny]

The crossover I needed😍😍 you're my faves!! Love from Spain

[@sorcellerie]

Love this collab! I have not read this book, however I think the main character could have been written as a hyperempathetic person to show how much young people oftentimes care about climate change and future overall and how it affects them. It's like a metaphor for our own caring and being existentially disturbed which is viewed by many as being "too much" in a way.

[@ContemporaryMeepsie]

I. Love. This. Series! I haven't read any of the books but I just find it so interesting. Also the way Jack talked about the book made me want to go back to uni to do an English degree.

[@madi32]

This is perfect! ... Well, haven't watched it yet but yours are the only channels I still watch regularly and I've already read Parable of the Sower, so nothing to stop me. 🥳

[@Kirbywonder2468]

if you and jack loved this book i would absolutely recommend kindred by octavia butler. another dystopian "pre" sci fi book but about racism (and gender and family and trauma etc etc etc) and it feels like it could have been written today. absolutely love it to pieces. ALSO speech sounds, its one of her short stories and they all have similar messages

[@beatalks]

I read Kindred before this and much preferred it to start with but this one definitely grew on me.

[@anushmitamohanty5798]

This is WILD I just read this book yesterday are we all having a Parable of the Sower moment???

[@IguessImight]

Couple months ago for me!!

[@marcusbell9631]

I can't wait to watch this whole thing. I first read the book 4 or 5 years ago and it has stayed with me since. I've given copies to friends, because as bleak as the story and its parallels to our world, I drew (and still draw) a lot of strength and power from the idea of change, as Butler describes it in the book. For anyone who loves Octavia E. Butler, I really recommend "a handful of earth, a handful of sky: the world of Octavia E. Butler" by Lynell George, it's a beautiful meditation on such a powerful writer. Okay, now to watch the video!

[@naguag]

I really love watching the two of you together and I love more seeing that you are just cracking it Leena.

[@yasmin4299]

you should definitely read parable of the talents. there are parts of it that are EERILY similar to our present day (especially regarding the 2020 election cycle in the US) and i wouldn't worry too much about it being depressing because [semi-spoiler alert] it does end on an optimistic note. I think octavia butler is ultimately an optimist but she's also realistic about how to acheive that state that we'd hope for

[@-farang-la-fan]

Loved the ‘Collecting books is like collecting wine’ comment by Jack here.

[@lavender_evie]

So cool u and jack collabed! Can u do a vid about jobs in your 20s more specifically quitting a job?

[@alexlemaire8513]

started staring at jack's reflection in the lamp and now i can't stop😂

[@madi32]

Having read the book a few years ago, I can tell it's one that keeps drawing you back in. Bit random but literally every time I get across acorns it makes me think of Octavia's world.

[@mbick4d]

OMG! I just finished the Broken Earth Trilogy by NK Jemisin and it seems like the sci-fi/high fantasy version of this. If you are looking to dip more into that genre I would sooooooo recommend 🙏

[@maggiescarlet]

That's been on my tbr for ages!! Can't wait to sink my teeth into both these books/series 😍

[@mbick4d]

@@maggiescarlet the audio books are also 💯! They helped my ADHD brain keep track of all the characters really well 🙏

[@HeavenlyJasmines]

The collaboration I've been waiting for since you announced this series 🥳

[@Juliasayzhi]

Love both of you so much!!! Happy to see this Collab 😊❤

[@belorama8]

Love that i get to sit in on a book club with the 2 of you!! Am I having a bit of an existential crisis listening to this while holding my newborn and freaking out about the world he will inherit? Yes. Yes I am.

[@jmsl910]

you will land squarely on your feet & so will your child. i'm sure of this bc you are a questioner... a seeker. you are doing well & WAY ahead of the parents who stick their heads in the sand 💕

[@MrSunglasses]

I read this book for my cli-fi class in uni, can’t wait to hear your discussion!

[@theonlyenekoeneko]

I honestly didn't know about this book, and not certain it's my cup of tea, but would definitely read all of Jack's tabbed sections with concerned interest if left alone with his bookshelf. Slightly terrifying to realise the amount of time since governments and the populations generally were aware of global warming/climate change/the climate crisis until now and the actions to stop & reverse damage are still worryingly minimal.

[@bettyreads222]

i'd recommend the xenogenesis trilogy by her; it's such an expansive world. this was also my first butler and i just think she's a genius like predicted the state of our world 30 years ago and i read the graphic novel of this too and at first the god emphasis didn't stick with me but reading it in that form, the change piece is what really stuck with me. how we change as we learn and grow and adapt and it's a beautiful thing even when change can feel hard and scary. enjoyed this conversation!

[@leratomahloko4983]

In Parable of a Sower, I loved those one liners that start each journal entry. Killer.

[@mc63404]

Thank you so much for the video!!

[@gabrielle_vx]

I've been highly anticipating this video and I'm sooooo glad it's here!!

[@lina5699]

This seriously made my day! Love both of your channels

[@ruby7706]

have yet to finish this video but there is a graphic novel adaptation of this novel. incredible illustrations done by the artists! it is quite graphic but i still recommend going out to buy it to support the team that created it.

[@annekebrakenhoff1676]

The collab we've all been waiting for 😍😍 So excited, Love you both!!!

[@hannahuhlig9989]

Love this collaboration 😍

[@AnneleenRoesems]

This was a very interesting discussion. Love these book club videos

[@alicewaterhouse3844]

This is awesome please do more of these

[@ms.z461]

Of course you two get along! Love you guys. Nice review. Adding to my TBR.

[@fennebastiaansen4844]

I read this book at the end of February 2020, which was an ~interesting~ experience to say the least :')

[@josiemac7807]

OMG THIS DUO IS INCREDIBLEEEEE

[@Hillary429]

You know you can make little trailers for premieres now!

[@joshuageraldbutler8037]

Yay, love the Collab. Hope some day you read Ministry for the future in this series ☺️

[@GhostsOfThings]

I haven't read this one but the way you describe an almost claustrophobia in that you only know what's happening to her and nobody else reminds me of why I found "Leave The World Behind" so terrifying. 99% of the book is just what happens to a family while out on vacation during an event, and you're left with so many unanswered questions that it makes it feel so real.

[@fortheloveofLDS]

You might enjoy adding "Oryx and Crake" by Margaret Atwood to the fiction list guests can choose from, if it isn't already on there! It sticks with me to this day.

[@lisamaplewood8489]

Brilliant discussion ✨

[@libertybeswick70]

Love this discussion ❤

[@zofiabochenska1240]

Commented before watching - omg, love that book and it hit me quite hard. Can't wait to hear what the two of you have to say about it!

[@zofiabochenska1240]

After watching - only other book of hers I read was Kindred, and I enjoyed it a lot. It is better written story in my opinion, very different. Not light hearted either, unfortuneatelly

[@janaelarsen3222]

I loved this collaboration. So fun!!

[@-farang-la-fan]

Loved this video!! Two great people Who I enjoyed listening to!

[@glimmeringshard]

Wow another collab for the books!

[@bookishdaydreams4993]

I’ve been saving the videos in this series until I get to read the book (I’ve read Braiding Sweetgrass and Once There Were Wolves now and really liked them both!), but I look forward to reading this book too and watching the video, seems very interesting!

[@beatalks]

I just finished listening to the audiobook! I really struggled to get into it and set it aside for a few months at about 30% but blasted through it over the last few days - definitely worth sticking with! Still thinking about it.

[@KatieDanielRC]

If you'd like more Octavia E Butler I'd really recommend Kindred!

[@djunaskye6220]

"princess consuela bananahammock" lol I was not expecting that reference

[@gracebarrett-johnson]

You’ve gotta read the Parable of the Talents (the sequel)! It’s so critical

[@lyrablack8621]

1:21 listening to an audiobook instead of physically reading it is no less respectable! At the end of the day, you both absorbed and reflected upon the material, you're not "lazy" /pos

[@sawace1]

Magnums in Canada are also large condoms

[@shellykorol3710]

Best collab everr!!🤩🤩

[@luisarombach683]

this is literally my dream collab!!

[@tarasalvi6873]

I just borrowed The Parable of the Sower graphic novel from the library today. It won a Hugo last year! I hope I'm up to it!

[@maddietownsend7696]

Parable of the Sower is quite interesting for a lot of reasons to Americans (the presidency for one) but I found it most intriguing because the story is taken up by Lauren's daughter, who is very critical of her mother and her religion (which her daughter calls a cult) for many reasons. It provided a great counterpoint to Lauren's POV in the first book and scratched an itch I was left with after Sower...that I didn't quite trust Lauren, however much I admired her.

[@MirandaPurpleClouds]

I think i have to read the book and come back. This sounds really interesting

[@stephaniejohnson229]

'The curtains are blue because the curtains are blue' triggered me so hard xD

[@megancrossley8116]

Great video! A climate fiction recommendation that I really love is The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh. It is set in the Bay of Bengal, among an archipelago of tiny islands known as the Sundarbans. This is a unique ecosystem under threat, where locals live in fear of drowning tides and man-eating tigers. Piya Roy, an American marine biologist of Indian descent, arrives here in search of a rare species of river dolphin and enlists the aid of a local fisherman and a translator. It’s a lush and beautiful read, concerned with themes of climate change (and climate migration), literature and myth, and the relationship between people and nature. I didn’t realise going into it that it would be ‘climate fiction’ (a topic which Amitav Ghosh has also written on in non-fiction!) but it’s a book that has stayed with me ever since.

[@meikusje]

I really loved this book, even though I thought the level of violence was a bit unrealistic. Keeping in mind that there are already parts of the world where people have to live in survival situations in city environments, and they're not acting like this, I just don't think violence would develop to such a degree, at least not for such a long time. Perhaps when people panic, they'll do some awful things, but it seems like there is such an extreme lack of empathy that it's a bit unrealistic. However, I also understand that those extremes exist to contrast with the extremes of hyperempathy. But I do love the worldbuilding, and a lot of the other aspects of this dystopian world were very believable to me. And in a way, reading about people living relatively mundane lives in such a ravaged world is kind of hopeful; it gives you the idea that no matter what, we can adapt and go on, the collapse of society as we know it doesn't have to tear us down in the way that maybe we all feel it will.

[@stephieruud]

I loved the “why didn’t I like this” comment. Keeping that.

[@dr.suezettealoysiaandcarla1664]

“If you don’t know your blood pressure, it’s like not knowing the value of your company.” -Mehmet Oz “Walking distance to the Riverwalk “ -Dr Carl 🤝Dr Suez

[@penjelly88]

6 minutes in & I'm pausing so I can skedaddle to my local library (it's available woo!). Shall resume when book has traumatised me 😅

[@penjelly88]

Contrary to Leena and Jack I can so see this happening in the near future in California - they already struggle with drought and fires + the US is kind of a capitalist individualist dystopia already.. I felt like there were hints of things aren't so out of control in northern parts of the world. Scary. I'm looking forward to more anxiety reading the next one.

[@sophiapearson6473]

In Bewilderment by Richard Powers (also a climate fiction) the main character's son also experiences heightened empathy for animals. It's not the mirror touch like in Wolves, but it is an interesting pattern to notice!!!

[@catherinereeves5707]

Leena, I use to love to read, but over the years, I find reading is physically hard to do. For some reason, I tend to fall asleep, when I read a book. So, I am so glad to discover, Audio books. Believe it or not, my first book, to do on Audio, was "Spare". I loved it. I finished in no time, and will probably , read, or audio it again, to make sure, any facts I missed, don't get missed. I am glad to have discovered your channel, because now I can share, my new found world with someone. See you soon. Catherine, from California, in the United States.

[@claraalvarez3247]

Hi ! I really enjoyed this episode I kinda want to read it but don't feel ready... On that note I wanted to reflected on the whole theme of the serie ... Don't you think you could find a fiction book talking about the climate change in a positive perspective ... I don't know if I very clear but ... something showing that despite the horrors coming ahead, the/some solutions to change could be easy and/or agreable and /or positive ... Like ... the story of a couple feeling enough secure in a community or organization to built a family since before they had'nt faith in the future to do so...

[@jemimawestern9673]

THE MADD ADDAM TRILOGY! by Margaret Attwood

[@carinaarmstrong1080]

Loving this duo :)

[@CraigSimmonds]

10/10 collab

[@laura__5544]

This is a dream collab!

[@rowenball3922]

Love this pairing 💜

[@mollygabrielle4171]

collab of the century

[@traveljournal9928]

When I read this book it was really overwhelming. It took me a long time to read it because my heart and nerves couldn't take it. I've been putting of the sequel and I'm not sure if I will continue reading. I'm American it it...cut really close.

[@elzbethmrgn]

I put my watch of this chat on hold until I read the book, so here I am three hundred internet years late to the party. The thing I realised from your chat, though, is that Australian 90s YA is FULL of climate fiction (or at least the stuff I read, being an Australian teenager in the 90s. The first that comes to mind are Scatterlings by Isobelle Carmody and Winter of Fire by Sherryl Jordan). So, PotS felt like an extremely nostalgic read for me, in that respect.

[@asmergoli249]

Not me binging Earthseed 😅

[@elyse49]

I think you'd enjoy How High We Go In the Dark. 📚 There's climate and science fiction and it's so well written.

[@wavaleebranch]

Agreed

[@juliajennings5498]

Fledgling being the only Octavia Butler book I've read, it's strange to hear it described as "lighthearted," but I do definitely recommend it - and it's not entirely bleak like I may have made it seem. It makes a U-turn away from about any traditional vampire trope I can recall, and actually in the end/epilogue becomes somewhat science-fictiony and touches on some similar themes as the book being discussed in your video here... Would love to hear your thoughts on it if you decide to give it a read!

[@Mysterytour7]

I love that Fledgling is Octavia Butler’s idea of lighthearted. I guess in relation to everything else she’s written???

[@Hippiepoper]

Oh I literally just started reading it 2 days ago! I can't wait to finish reading it and watch the video and share my thoughts 👀 Edit: I finished the book and I quite loved it, I definetly would like to know more about the reasons why the world became like that but what we learned was really interesting (slavery debt, pyros drug...) and the book didn't read like it had been written that long ago at all, amazing but scary. Damn, I had no idea that there were supposed to be more books but the author never wrote them, that puts me off whether to read its sequel or read it as a standalone.

[@Larissa_KD]

I've read it a couple of years ago and I didn't particularly enjoy it, but this video actually made me think: maybe I read it at the wrong time? I still want to read the second book, maybe I should reread the first one?

[@applepie-sq8mm]

The desensitisation thing is actually something I feel like we are doing to some extent already. Maybe not when something happens in our immediate vicinity, but definitely on a larger scale. I feel that the larger the disaster the more numb we seem feel towards it. When people respond to climate activists these days what I very often hear is a sentiment of boredom or being ‘so over that climate nonsense’. And when I raise topics like the most recent natural disasters or war or slave labour all I usually get in response is a sigh and a question to talk about more cheerful things. What also worries me is that ppl don’t seem to realise the danger of climate change for themselves. They push it off on ‘later generations’ when the first generations to experience the consequences of climate change are very much already living, in fact in many countries the consequences are already being felt. Which leads me to the next thing: the false sense of security a lot of people in the west feel. It’s exhausting to explain to them time and time again that consequences will be felt everywhere by anyone if we keep going like this.

[@HaleyShealy15]

Really thought you were talking about magnum condoms at first too (American here lol) because they also have scarce birth control methods! Lol

[@violetrowe9479]

Omggg no way I love you guys

[@angelas8567]

this crossover!!!!!

[@beckydunn-mills3126]

No way this is great! X

[@mitalishinde6890]

Listen to it at 1.75 x speed jack sounds like a chipmunk 😂

[@honestlyholly7657]

Jack's voice sounds really different in this vid and I can't figure out why? 😭😂

[@gracedifford]

Yeah I noticed it’s a higher pitch for some reason

[@angelas8567]

lool same I think he's just nervous

[@melindajones5707]

I thought maybe she sped up his video a bit? I definitely noticed this too. Went through the comments just to find someone else who noticed this.

[@gracedifford]

@@melindajones5707 the sound is definitely altered as it’s totally consistent. Whether or not it was intentional or not I don’t know. Would be funny if it’s Jack that lowers all his other ones but that would be a big commitment ha

[@melindajones5707]

@@gracedifford haaa! That would be awesome. Plot twist.