Eastern guest speaker Andre Carrington, associate professor of English at the University of California Riverside, to give listeners insight into his work on the radio adaptation of Octavia Butler’s book “Kindred.”

Carrington practically talked about Octavia Butler. Although Butler is deceased, the legacy she left behind is quite impressive.

Awarded the Genius Grant for her science fiction writing, Butler was an extremely unique African-American author.

Her book “Kindred” is the story of a young African-American writer named Dana. She finds herself taken away from her normal life in Los Angeles and instead finds herself on a plantation before the Civil War. It is on this plantation that she meets some of her ancestors and some of the struggles they must endure on a daily basis. To survive, she must let go of some of her pride in order to resume a normal life.

According to his studies of his books, Carrington describes Butler’s work as “grim fantasy rather than science fiction romance”.

As Carrington continues to explain the plot of the book, he notes how this book is used to help teach history to American students.

This is done in a way to teach students about the seriousness of slavery, while making time travel part of the story. As a means of introducing students to the history of slavery, this book proves to be a very interesting and productive means of doing so.

“What interests me and hopefully interests you is how a form of historical evidence that consumers have decided to incorporate into the adaptation of ‘Kindred’ loses the odd notations of fiction, fantasy and reality through the effectiveness of black women’s performance,” Carrington mentioned.

There are also a number of re-enactments of this book, some of the most common being done on radio or by film. Be warned that it is considered a bit difficult to watch.

The one scene that stands out for most people is when Dana tries to help another black woman named Sarah and her family read. Angered by her betrayal, her slave owner almost beats her to death.

“Although it is difficult to witness the reconstruction of this violence, to perceive it through the memory of a survivor helps to transmute the suffering into wisdom… Literature can transport us to another place and can also bring it back for better or worse,” Carrington said.

The book “Kindred” being an interesting adaptation to real life events. African-American author Octavia Butler puts an interesting twist on her story to help individuals uncover the real struggles slaves had to endure before they were officially freed.

Carrington and her studies of her work give students the opportunity to learn not just about history, but about a woman who portrayed history in her own way.

Adriana Hernandez-Santana can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected]