Resources for Loss

"Parable of the Sower" by Octavia Butler, contributed by Fiona Tan (2025)

I have chosen a book Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler. It is set in a dystopian America where a young girl with hyper-empathy witnesses the destruction of her walled community and loses people she loves along the way. In this journey, she creates a new religion centered around the idea that “God is change.”  I read this in high school for an Ecological Humanities class where we were discussing the portrayal of the environment through religion. Now, it makes me realize that this story is just as much about loss of home and loss of loved ones. This book has held special meaning to me because I grew up non-religious and wondered if the community and belonging that I always lacked could be found through faith. Now, when I pair this with my fear of how to one day handle a deep and cutting loss, this book provides a comforting answer. The protagonist is put into this world where displacement is inevitable and survival requires constant adaptation. Despite these losses, she finds a rebuild by forging a new community based on memories of those she loved and her religious philosophy. I think it shows how the most devastating loss can become a catalyst for beautiful transformations that bring people together.

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