Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Protagonist archetypes
Themes
Synopsis
In 2025, with the world descending into madness and anarchy, one woman begins a fateful journey toward a better future. Lauren Olamina and her family live in one of the only safe neighborhoods remaining on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Behind the walls of their defended enclave, Lauren’s father, a preacher, and a handful of other citizens try to salvage what remains of a culture that has been destroyed by drugs, disease, war, and chronic water shortages. While her father tries to lead people on the righteous path, Lauren struggles with hyperempathy, a condition that makes her extraordinarily sensitive to the pain of others. When fire destroys their compound, Lauren’s family is killed and she is forced out into a world that is fraught with danger. With a handful of other refugees, Lauren must make her way north to safety, along the way conceiving a revolutionary idea that may mean salvation for all mankind.
Tags
Parable of the Sower: content & age rating
Intended for adult readers (18+).
Contains graphic violence including murder, rape, and torture; drug abuse; and intense survival situations in a brutal near-future dystopia. The protagonist's hyperempathy condition means she viscerally experiences others' pain, intensifying traumatic scenes.
What to know going in
This book has strong violence, moderate sexual content, and moderate language. Content notes include rape, slavery, murder, death, and death of parent (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
A powerful story of survival and hope as a young woman creates a new philosophy while journeying through a devastated America.