Parable of the Sower
Butler, Octavia E.
Paperback
List Price:                 $13.99
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Teaser from back of softcover edition:
"When unattended environmental and economic crises lead to social chaos, not even gated communities are safe. In a night of fire and death Lauren Olamina, a minster's young daughter, loses her family and home and ventures out into the unprotected American landscape. But what begins as a flight for survival soon leads to something much more: a startling vision of human destiny.. and the birth of a new faith."

I read this novel last semester for a college class and love it.  There is something about Butler's story telling abilities, prose and descriptions that made this book really come to life for me.  The novel focuses around a young woman, named Lauren Olmina, her escape from the burning of her gated community, and her journey afterward.  As a child she had developed a benign religious philosophy which she begins to call Earthseed.  Part of the influence for this is her hyperempathy - a condition brought about from her mothers addiction to pain pills.  Her hyperempathy causes Lauren to share the pain or perceived pain [as well as pleasure] of any living animal or person in her vicinity. 

The story is set in a post-apocalyptic future - there is a severe shortage of food, resources and severe poverty and society is on the very verge of collapse.  New drugs (of the illegal variety) cause severe addictions and turn the users into empty shells of people, or severe agressors.  Lauren and her community lives within what was once an affluent gated community - separated from the outside world with high walls they attempt to keep everyone provided with resources.  Some work for the government, making the dangerous commute into the city every day for work. 

When the community is attacked Lauren escapes and gathers a band of other survivors and followers for her Earthseed.

An actual social movement called SolSeed has been inspired by Earthseed.

Butler originally planned two books to follow Parable of the Sower, but was only able to write one Parable of the Talents before experiencing writers block and writing Fledgling which was her last novel.