I've always read science fiction, but at a young age I started looking for books and media that were more diverse. After all, Chicagoan Mae Jemison went into space, and I wanted to go, too!
When I learned about the concept of Afrofuturism, loosely defined as the common themes in African-American science fiction, art and music, I felt that there might be a place for me in the future, too. Well, after NASA makes getting to the stars more comfortable.
Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower takes place in a near future where the government of the United States has collapsed. Lauren Olamina, a hyperempathetic woman from a small gated community, ventures out with a small group of like-minded people to find a better way to live, as well as a new religion named Earthseed.
Parable of the Sower is available in other formats.
After a stunning betrayal, Onyesonwu (which means "Who Fears Death") works with a shaman to strengthen her own mystical powers. The depiction of an African country torn apart by nuclear and magical weapons and in the process of rebuilding is unusual and captivating.
Ti-Jeanne, the main character of Brown Girl in the Ring, lives in the slums of a dystopian Toronto. When her ex-boyfriend cannot perform a gruesome task for the local drug lord, Ti-Jeanne and her spiritually attuned grandmother must ask the spirits of the Caribbean obeah religion for help.
Looking for more suggestions? Check out CPL's Afrofuturism in Science Fiction and Fantasy booklist.
Put a glide in your stride, a dip in your hip and come on and join the Mothership!
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