Octavia E Butler: Difference between revisions

For those who are fans of science fiction and fantasy, the name "Octavia E. Butler" likely is at the very least familiar if not beloved.  Born only a year and a half after the end of WWII, she struggled in school, not only because she was rather shy as a child, but also because of dyslexia.  After begging her mother to get her a library card, Butler found a second home there.  Eventually, she began to create stories while sitting on her grandmother's porch.  At the tender age of nine, Butler saw a B-movie entitled "Devil Girl from Mars", an event that would prove to be a turning point in her life, for it was then she realised not only did someone get paid to write that movie, she knew she could do far better.   

Despite her talent, however, Butler continued to struggle as her work was not commercially popular.  She held a rigorous schedule and rose at 2am to write before going to work at a number of jobs that brought her income. On February 24, 2006, Butler fell while at home from what people believe was a stroke, to which she ultimately succumbed.  In recent years, her works have only grown in popularity, and she has been recognised as a pioneer in the science fiction world, not only as a female author, but a person of colour.  Not only was she one of the first black authors, but she also wrote about subjects including global warming, political disparity, and women's rights.  She proved that black people did belong in science fiction, whether or not their race was crucial to the plot. Butler showed the world that science fiction wasn't a field limited to white men, but it was a realm for anyone and everyone, regardless of what they looked like or who society thought they shoulder.