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Works of Radical Imagination

The President Who Already Made America Great Again

March 02

by Sanina Clark



He’s irascible. He’s disingenuous. He’s a demagogue, a rabble-rouser and a hypocrite. He condemns hate crimes, but in such mild language that his condemnations stand as tacit approval. He has charisma and clear blue eyes. He wants to Make America Great Again. You all know who we’re talking about. It’s President . . . Jarret?

You may have heard that a prophetic dystopian novel from 1998 anticipated the Trump Presidency. It's been noted by Fusion, The Huffington Post, Bitch Media, Esquire, Book Riot, and even Business Insider. Well that novel, Octavia Butler’s magnificent The Parable of the Talents, is now back on the shelves, in a beautiful re-issue featuring cover art from Paul Lewin and a new introduction by Toshi Reagon. We’re also re-issuing the first book of the duology, The Parable of the Sower, with a new introduction from Gloria Steinem. And for your enjoyment, or horror, which ever seems more appropriate, here is a paragraph illustrating the Jarret/Trump parallels below:

“Jarret condemns the burnings, but does so in such mild language that his people are free to hear what they want to hear. As for the beatings, the tarring and feathering, and the destruction of “heathen houses of devil-worship,” he has a simple answer: “Join us! Our doors are open to every nationality, every race! Leave your sinful past behind, and become one of us. Help us to make America great again.” He’s had notable success with this carrot-and-stick approach. Join us and thrive, or whatever happens to you as a result of your own sinful stubbornness is your problem. His opponent Vice President Edward Jay Smith calls him a demagogue, a rabble-rouser, and a hypocrite. Smith is right, of course, but Smith is such a tired, gray shadow of a man. Jarret, on the other hand, is a big, handsome, black-haired man with deep, clear blue eyes that seduce people and hold them. He has a voice that’s a whole-body experience . . . .”—From Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Talents

PS: Both these books are 25% off list price when you buy them direct from our site!

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