Through poems and prose, an acclaimed novelist paints a vivid portrait of science fiction visionary Octavia Butler, who was born into the Space Race, the Red Scare and the dawning of the Civil Rights Movement. Simultaneous eBook. - (Baker & Taylor)

"From the New York Times bestselling author and National Book Award finalist, a biography in verse and prose of science fiction visionary Octavia Butler. Acclaimed novelist Ibi Zoboi illuminates the young life of the visionary storyteller Octavia E. Butler in poems and prose. Born into the Space Race, the Red Scare, and the dawning Civil Rights Movement, Butler experienced an American childhood that shaped her into the groundbreaking science-fiction storyteller whose novels continue to challenge and delight readers fifteen years after her death"-- - (Baker & Taylor)

A Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book
A Walter Dean Myers Honor Book

From the New York Times bestselling author and National Book Award finalist, a biography in verse and prose of science fiction visionary Octavia Butler, author of Parable of the Sower and Kindred.

Acclaimed novelist Ibi Zoboi illuminates the young life of the visionary storyteller Octavia E. Butler in poems and prose. Born into the Space Race, the Red Scare, and the dawning Civil Rights Movement, Butler experienced an American childhood that shaped her into the groundbreaking science-fiction storyteller whose novels continue to challenge and delight readers fifteen years after her death. - (Penguin Putnam)

Ibi Zoboi was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and holds an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her YA novel American Street was a National Book Award finalist and and her debut middle grade novel, My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich, was a New York Times bestseller. She is the author of Pride, a contemporary YA remix of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, and editor of the anthology, Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America. Her most recent bestseller, Punching the Air, is a YA novel in verse, co-authored by prison reform activist Yusef Salaam of the Exonerated Five. Her debut picture book, The People Remember, earned a Coretta Scott King Honor. Raised in New York City, Ibi now lives in New Jersey with her husband and their three children. - (Penguin Putnam)

Booklist Reviews

*Starred Review* Fragments—photos, notebook pages, quotes, poems, and snippets of biography several pages long—pointedly coalesce into a pattern revealing writer Octavia Estelle Butler's unique position in the galaxy of great contemporary science fiction writers. And while readers younger than high-school age may not have encountered Butler's renowned work, they will certainly appreciate the way her childhood obsessions, from pop culture to horses to a pink notebook, as well as her propensity for daydreaming (noted sharply by a teacher in a report card), influenced her. National Book Award finalist Zoboi emphasizes the otherworldly aspects of Butler's writing, linking the author to stardust, constellations, and the moon in original poems that illuminate the author's life. One entry, shaped like a star, explains Butler's middle name, which means star, and goes on to say, "like a star, she was born to listen / to the whispers of the universe." More earthly parts of Butler's life, in particular the racism she saw growing up and the cultural and historical touchstones of the mid-twentieth century, explain the way these informed her best-known works, such as Kindred and Parable of the Sower. Zoboi has created a necessary addition to school and public library collections through this memorable look at how writers incorporate their lives into their work. Grades 5-12. Copyright 2022 Booklist Reviews.

Horn Book Guide Reviews

A biography that's as unique in form and content as the groundbreaking sci-fi/fantasy author herself. Zoboi (The People Remember, rev. 11/21) came to this project from a lifetime love of Butler's work and from having met her on several occasions. The word constellation in the subtitle is used both literally -- referring to the other-worldly stories about which Butler dreamed and then wrote -- and figuratively, for she was a lonely rogue planet, with others revolving around her but rarely getting to really know her. Focusing mainly on her early life, Zoboi tells the author's story in several literary modes: original poems in many forms (haiku, concrete, and acrostic, among others); excerpted quotes from interviews; and descriptive passages that offer further explanations of these biographical snapshots. This variety is narratively enthralling and reflects Butler's openness to telling stories in many different ways. The volume also offers superb historical context for Butler's life, from the Great Migration to the U.S.'s fascination with UFOs, the baby boom, McCarthyism, the civil rights movement, and more. Zoboi occasionally includes relevant visuals -- a photograph of Octavia and her mother, Butler's handwritten childhood notes, the cover of a Dick and Jane basal reader -- that will provide readers a clearer sense of the historical details. Informational and inspirational, this innovative work will draw committed Butler fans and entice those unfamiliar with her work to seek it out. Copyright 2023 Horn Book Guide Reviews.

Horn Book Magazine Reviews

A biography that's as unique in form and content as the groundbreaking sci-fi/fantasy author herself. Zoboi (The People Remember, rev. 11/21) came to this project from a lifetime love of Butler's work and from having met her on several occasions. The word constellation in the subtitle is used both literally -- referring to the otherworldly stories about which Butler dreamed and then wrote -- and figuratively, for she was a lonely "rogue planet," with others revolving around her but rarely getting to really know her. Focusing mainly on her early life, Zoboi tells the author's story in several literary modes: original poems in many forms (haiku, concrete, and acrostic, among others); excerpted quotes from interviews; and descriptive passages that offer further explanations of these biographical snapshots. This variety is narratively enthralling and reflects Butler's openness to telling stories in many different ways. The volume also offers superb historical context for Butler's life, from the Great Migration to the U.S.'s fascination with UFOs, the baby boom, McCarthyism, the civil rights movement, and more. Zoboi occasionally includes relevant visuals -- a photograph of Octavia and her mother, Butler's handwritten childhood notes, the cover of a Dick and Jane basal reader -- that will provide readers a clearer sense of the historical details. Informational and inspirational, this innovative work will draw committed Butler fans and entice those unfamiliar with her work to seek it out. Michelle H. Martin March/April 2022 p. Copyright 2022 Horn Book Magazine Reviews.

Kirkus Reviews

By the time she was 10 years old, Octavia Butler knew that she wanted to be a writer. Weaving together quotes from Butler, prose passages of historical and biographical information, and her own original poetry, Zoboi explores the visionary speculative fiction author's early life. This ambitious experimental biography is at once a tribute from an adoring fan and an introduction to Butler's juvenilia and her childhood growing up as a shy Black child in postwar 1950s America. Each chapter covers a different aspect of, or key moment in, Butler's girlhood and adolescence, showing the challenges she overcame and the sustaining force of her imagination. Included are black-and-white childhood photos and a facsimile of a handwritten story about wild horses that Butler worked on as a child and illustrated herself. Young readers familiar with the Butler oeuvre will note the allusions to her famous and groundbreaking works. Zoboi's powerful poems vary in style and form; particularly interesting are several concrete poems, including the titular "Star Child," "Moon Child," and "Moon Child II," with the words arranged on the page to reveal an image of a star, quarter moon, and full moon respectively. Readers will come away with an understanding of Butler's early influences and an interest in her writing. An inspiring look at the formative years and work of a literary giant that's sure to capture young readers' attention. (author's note, bibliography, endnotes, photo credits) (Biography. 12-adult) Copyright Kirkus 2022 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.

Publishers Weekly Reviews

Alternating between verse forms, prose interludes, and direct quotations, Zoboi (The People Remember) recounts the life and career of legendary speculative fiction writer Octavia Butler (1947–2006), emphasizing her beginnings as a "star child" (her middle name, Estelle, means "star"). A sweeping mix of allusive poetry and contextualizing prose traces Butler's birth during the baby boom and childhood "raised by her mother and grandmother—two hardworking and God-fearing matriarchs" in unsegregated Pasadena, Calif. Portraying Butler as a solitary child who "always seemed distant and aloof," Zoboi traces the determined figure's initial forays into literature, first as a reader and then as a creator of worlds. Examples cover Butler's first novel, penned in her trusty pink notebook at age 10; early submissions to editors at age 13; and her subsequent focus on science fiction and making "imagination her life's mission." In a turn toward memoir, one section recounts Zoboi's commonalities with Butler, including thebirthday they share and conversations between them. More extensive ode than strict biography, this is a fittingly expansive tribute to Butler's visionary mind and the childhood that sowed it. Ages 10–up. Agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary. (Jan.)

School Library Journal Reviews

Gr 5 Up—Zoboi's biography of science fiction author Octavia Estelle Butler details her life from birth in Pasadena, CA, to her legacy as an author. Raised by her mother and grandmother after losing her father when she was four, Butler grew up in a non-segregated town filled with opportunities that her mother worked hard to give her. After struggling with dyslexia in school, Butler found reading and storytelling as a way to escape the schoolyard banter, where she found it difficult to connect with her classmates. Butler's life story is complemented by the history she grew up within, providing context of the Great Depression, World War II, the space race, the red scare, and the Civil Rights movement. Told through poetry, narrative, photographs, newspaper clippings, handwritten notes, story drafts, childhood sketches, quotes, report cards, and war propaganda, this stunning biography is a one-of-a-kind masterpiece of literature. Zoboi carefully crafts each chapter of Butler's life with various types of poetry, using clever rhymes and rhythmic stanzas. Each poem and section of prose elegantly connects to the space theme, painting the picture of Butler as a star child, born out of stardust. The vivid poetry will fill readers' heads with imagery of the historic journey Zoboi presents. The quick-paced chapters and rich voice will draw readers of all ages into this nontraditional biography. VERDICT This must-read biography belongs on every library shelf and will redefine the way readers engage with biographical texts.—Angie Jameson