

#1580
Mentioned in 18 episodes
Parable of the Sower
Book • 1993
Published in 1993, 'Parable of the Sower' is a dark and vivid portrayal of a future where global climate change and economic crises have led to social chaos.
The story is told through the diary entries of Lauren Olamina, a 15-year-old Black girl living in a gated community near Los Angeles.
Lauren suffers from hyperempathy, a condition that makes her feel the pain and pleasure of others.
As her community is destroyed by external threats, Lauren embarks on a perilous journey north, developing a new faith called Earthseed along the way.
Earthseed's central doctrine is that 'God is Change' and cannot be resisted, but can be influenced.
The novel explores themes of survival, faith, family, hope, and community in a world torn apart by environmental devastation, economic collapse, and violence.
The story is told through the diary entries of Lauren Olamina, a 15-year-old Black girl living in a gated community near Los Angeles.
Lauren suffers from hyperempathy, a condition that makes her feel the pain and pleasure of others.
As her community is destroyed by external threats, Lauren embarks on a perilous journey north, developing a new faith called Earthseed along the way.
Earthseed's central doctrine is that 'God is Change' and cannot be resisted, but can be influenced.
The novel explores themes of survival, faith, family, hope, and community in a world torn apart by environmental devastation, economic collapse, and violence.
Mentioned by
























Mentioned in 18 episodes
Recommended by ![undefined]()

for their exploration of questioning authority.

Martine Rothblatt

285 snips
#749: Michael Lewis and Martine Rothblatt
Mentioned by 

and 

as a significant influence on her work.


Krista Tippett


adrienne maree brown

269 snips
adrienne maree brown — On Radical Imagination and Moving Towards Life
Recommended by Jarrett Sleeper as a relevant book set in Altadena, featuring a dystopian future with a "Make America Great Again" slogan.

61 snips
Fire Ecology (WILDFIRES & INDIGENOUS FIRE MANAGEMENT) Mega Encore with Gavin Jones & Amy Christianson (LA Fires Re-Release)
Mentioned by 

in the context of the post-apocalyptic setting.


Sam Lessin

54 snips
"The Information" Profiles TBPN, AI Ups and Downs, Nuclear Regulation | Zach Weinberg, Leigh Marie Braswell, Stephen Balaban, Sam Lessin, Bobby Goodlatte, Auren Hoffman, Doug Bernauer, Isaiah Taylor
Recommended by 

for its shockingly current resonance.


Leah Litman

38 snips
Our Favorite Things, 2024
Mentioned by ![undefined]()

as a writer whose work is relevant to the current situation in Los Angeles.

Sam Fragoso

23 snips
The Week That Changed Los Angeles
Mentioned by 

to explain seeding the universe and the galactic creator, drawing a comparison to the Anunnaki.


Duncan Trussell

22 snips
710: Jay Anderson
Mentioned by 

while discussing dystopian fiction and its relevance to current events.


Cara Santa Maria

14 snips
The Skeptics Guide #1034 - May 3 2025
Mentioned by ![undefined]()

while discussing the impact of the Eaton Fire on the Black community in Altadena.

Gene Demby

13 snips
What a Black enclave lost in the Los Angeles wildfires
Recommended by ![undefined]()

for their exploration of questioning authority.

Martine Rothblatt

13 snips
#487: Dr. Martine Rothblatt — A Masterclass on Asking Better Questions and Peering Into the Future
Mentioned by 

as one of her all-time favorite novels that tells the story of a young girl in a dystopian world.


Amber Massie-Blomfield

11 snips
Acts of Resistance: Amber Massie-Blomfield on the Power of Art to Shape a Better World
Mentioned by ![undefined]()

when discussing books with similar themes to the tech elites' ideology.

Gil Duran

11 snips
Is ‘The Nerd Reich’ Taking Over the Government?
Recommended by ![undefined]()

as a Black Afrofuturist author.

Jen van der Meer

#109 - Beyond Existing Business Model Frames with Jen van der Meer
Mentioned by ![undefined]()

in relation to the LA fires and her prescient writing on climate change and social issues.

Kimberly Adams

The rise of private firefighting
Mentioned by John Green when discussing his experience with a psychiatrist.

408: The Green Brothers Often Are Wrong
Mentioned by Wendell Marsh as a text read with attention to critical needs in his class.

Wendell Marsh, "Textual Life: Islam, Africa, and the Fate of the Humanities" (Columbia UP, 2025)
Mentioned by Adrienne and ![undefined]()

as a source of inspiration for creating a go bag, due to its prescient depiction of societal collapse.

Autumn Brown

From Parable to Practice: Building Your Go Bag
Mentioned by 

when contrasting Musk's vision of space colonization with the critical perspectives of Afrofuturism.


Jill Lepore

EVENING ROCKET: Decoding Elon Musk’s Sci-Fi Visions of the Future
Recommended by ![undefined]()

as a prescient dystopian novel that remains relevant today.

Andrew Cheng

How YouTubers' voices evolve, with Andrew Cheng
Discussed by Abu and Obssa as the first book of season three, noting its dark themes.

Parable of the Sower (Earthseed #1) by Octavia E. Butler I Ch. 1-13