The girl, Lauren Oya Olamina, is, of course, the main character in Octavia Butler's classic science fiction novel Parable of the Sower. I have found myself returning to Parable of the Sower and Butler's other writings many times over the years to help make sense of things, to find in her stories lessons to guide my own life. Thank you for permission to excerpt from the book PARABLE OF THE SOWER by Octavia E. Butler.