By Sumeet Shinde

Born in Pasadena, California on June Father was a shoe shiner who died when she was 5 years old Grew up with her mother and her grand mother Was brought up in a struggling and racially mixed neighborhood Was later diagnosed with dyslexia

Got an Associates degree from Pasadena City College in 1968 Enrolled in the California State University in Los Angeles in 1969 Published her first novel in 1976, Patternmaster Got her first major breakthrough in 1979 through her novel Kindred Later went on to write a total of 13 novels as well as number of essays and short stories

Hugo Award in 1984 and 1985 Nebula Award in 1984 and 1999 Pan American Center lifetime achievement award in writing in 2000 Inductee in science fiction hall of fame

Octavia E. Butler, an internationally acclaimed science fiction writer whose evocative, often troubling, novels explore far-reaching issues of race, sex, power and, ultimately, what it means to be human

Patternist series Kindred Xenogenesis Parable of Sower Fledging Various Short stories

Story of a African American girl named Shori who appears to be 11 years old, but is actually a 53 year old member of a race called the ‘Ina’ or vampires Wright picks her up from the side of the road and they began a human- vampire relationship While staying at Wright's house, Shori develops a relationship with Theodora Losif’s settlement is burned down like Shori’s home and so they travel to the gorden settlement The silks send three men to attack Shori Katherine Dahlman sends one of her symbionts to kill Theodora during the council The Silks have their sons taken from them, to be adopted by other Ina families. Thus the Silk line will die out. Katharine Dahlman is sentenced to have her legs amputated. However, she refuses this punishment and is consequently executed.