I'm a big fan of Octavia E. Butler, and this was such a fun way to learn more about her life and her work. I now have a new list of her books I want to read ASAP because of this book!

This audiobook is narrated by Janina Edwards. Janina is one of my favorite narrators. I truly appreciate the author and publisher for choosing such a skilled nsrrator for this unusual biography. I highly recommend consuming this as an audiobook if possible. It's a whole experience.

This is truly a unique biography of Octavia E. Butler. The author had access to her notes stored at the Huntington Library and she makes fantastic use of all that was left behind.

I've been a fan of OEB since I was a high school student and sobbed when I heard she had passed. Much like this author, the first novel I read by her was Dawn. I still have the old cover with a white woman on the cover representing Lilith Iyapo. Imagine my surprise upon discovering the main character was a Black woman leader. She's been my favorite author since. Her work has informed the adult I grew up to become.

This author takes all of her writings, not just related to her published work, but her childhood stories, her affirmations, her notes on places she visited and creates the fullest picture of Octavia I've ever encountered. I feel like I know so much more about Octavia. I'll never get permission to access her archive myself, but this is an excellent synopsis of what it contains.

This is structured, kind of like a children's ABC book with chapters that can be read in any order and are extremely eclectic. Still, each chapter speaks not just about her writing but also includes interviews from those that knew her, descriptions of images she drew and photographs she took, what reference books she studied, and her childhood obsessions. This is a side of Octavia Butler I have never had the chance to experience before. She was such a fascinating woman.

I've read and enjoyed every biography published on OEB, but this is by far my favorite. Octavia E Butler is my favorite author of all time. Though Toni Morrison is a close second. If you are a casual fan of the work of OEB or have been intrigued by her thought processes and how her mind worked, I can not recommend this highly enough.

I, of course, purchased this in audiobook format. This also includes interesting information about the author and how OEB's work impacted and fascinated her.

Thank you to Chi-Ming Yang, HighBridge Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.

A brilliantly done book about a phenomenal and ground breaking author. The writing and the audio were both very well done.

While this was not an easy listen, it could feel a bit like a research paper, I did find it to be very interesting to know so much of the background information, thoughts, ideas and very early works of such an accomplished author. There is so much information that this is audiobook would be a great immersion read with the physical book. Octavia Butler is such an interesting person.

Interesting but kinda esoteric and I would have rathered a more straight forward biography instead. Also was too short to really dig into anything.

This is a slightly academic biography, not only the author, but also of her early writings as well. Yang dove deep into Butler's archives held at the Huntington Library and have presented here an insight into how Butler's writing grew into the published books. Yang provides summaries on many of Butler’s juvenile writings, as she was writing stories since grade school.

The book is short and presented in 26 chapters, one for each letter of the alphabet, such as the subtitle. It’s a different way of organizing a biography, as it goes forward or backward in time as it fits into the chapter letter.
Any fan of Butler can find something here to appreciate and help to understand the author, and the origin stories of her books.

I listened to the audiobook which was well narrated. My only complaint is that there were references to images I could not see. I may have to seek out a copy just to peek at the images I missed while listening.

Book rating: 4.25

ARC Review: NetGalley
Release Date: 3-11-25
Author: Chi-ming Yang
No Spoilers

I am a fan of Octavia E. Butler, so of course I requested an advanced copy. I was initially concerned because I noticed the author wasn't African American. It crossed my mind that maybe this author was trying to use Octavia Butler's name since her popularity has increased lately because of our current government. Once I started listening, I noticed the narrator was African American (that made me feel a little better). Once I got to listening, I quickly realized that this was going to be informative. This book is very detailed. If you're a fan, you will find out everything you ever wanted to know about the brilliant author, and more. I gave it four instead of five stars because it's dry and I didn't like the ABC's style of writing. The writing style made the book read like a children's book.

If you're a fan of Octavia Butler's work, this nonfiction piece might be worth reading. Drawing on collections of her juvenalia (writing and notes from her childhood and adolescence) this collection of essays offers fresh insight into who Butler was, what inspired her, and some of what she lived through. It's organized like an alphabet, with a different topic corresponding to each letter of the alphabet. It's non-linear but really rich with information about where Butler grew up, the kinds of stories she wrote as a young person, what she was like, the kinds of media she consumed and more. Links to her published work are made as well since some of the stories she wrote when she was young influenced her later books.

For this next part of the review, content warning for discussions of child sexual abuse.

One thing I'm still processing, is there are indications that Butler might have been the victim of sexual abuse as a child. This isn't said explicitly because we don't know for sure, but there's definitely good reason to think this might be the case. We also know that as a young person she wrote a story about a very young child who is sexually abused by an adult and feels positively about it. The author of this book frames that as stories that could be read as rape being turned into empowering narratives. I can't help thinking it could also be a way of processing unresolved trauma when we knew a lot less about how abuse of children functions.

I will say it kind of puts Fledgling in a different light for me. That has always been one of my favorites of her ouvre, but I'm not sure how I feel knowing all of this. If you haven't read it, Fledgling is her take on a vampire story and the main character is a vampire woman whose body looks like that of a child even though she is an adult of her species. She engages in a sexual relationship with an adult human man and those intimate scenes are definitely uncomfortable to read. When I initially read the book, my take was that this was a way to examine sexual mores and pose philosophical questions about them, which is something she does in many of her books.

She may still be doing this, but also this adds a layer and makes me wonder if there's an element of self-insertion where perhaps she felt like an adult in a childs body at one point? And if so, does that change how I read or feel about the novel? Maybe. Of course, this is all speculation and she isn't here to say one way or another. But there's a lot of material in this book that hasn't previously been written about. I found it really interesting and I think it offers a clearer picture of who she was a full person who wrote so many brilliant and progressive books. The audio narrator isn't great though and reads in kind of a bland way. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

This is a really well researched and well written study of Octavia Butler. This is a great read for those who love her writing. The introduction is the first 17% of the book which was a bit much.

I was able to listen to the audiobook version of this book thanks to NetGalley and I absolutely loved it. I have read Butler's Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents but I am unfamiliar with the rest of her work and the only thing I know about her personal life is that she lived in Pasadena, California. Yang explores Octavia E. Butler's life in such an honest, kind, and admirable way. It is easy for us to understand that Yang herself reveres Butler. This book made me want to read more of Octavia E. Butler's work because Yang describes Butler's way of viewing life as immensely beautiful despite the terrors that might have plagued her at any point in her life.

H is for Horse takes the reader along on a journey not just through Octavia E. Butler's life but through the authors she loved, the animals she was fond of, the films she watched (as well as the ones she yearned to but wasn't allowed to), and many more specifics that we might otherwise never find out on our own with a simple Google search. The book itself follows an A-Z order, each letter pertaining to a specific topic (hence the title — H is for Horse) that Octavia E. Butler was fond of. There are not enough words for me to explain how perfectly this book flows and how it makes our titular character, Octavia, feel more like a close friend. A friend who, like many of us, lived her life admiring the work of others in order to make herself feel less alone. I hope she lived her life knowing the impact her work had and will continue to have on many of us.

My favorite part overall is Yang's way of tying together specific events in Butler's life or specific passions Butler had with what she wrote in her books. Butler had been writing from a rather young age and there is much of her work to go through. I've heard some of her other books be called "too science fiction" and at one point that deterred me from getting into them. Not anymore! I am going to make a conscious effort this year to pick up more of her books.

I've read many of Octavia E. Butler's works and this book was a great way to learn more about this author. I liked how she was able to connect her personal experience to the books she wrote. I know there is no way to truly know if they inspired some of her novels but it was cool to speculate. I found the alphabet chapters to be distracting though. I wish they removed that part of the book. Overall, this was a good book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Stunning and Deeply Personal Tribute to Octavia Butler

Octavia E. Butler: H is for Horse by Chi-Ming Yang is an absolute treasure—a book that not only explores the brilliance of Butler’s early writing but also deepens the connection fans have with her as a person. As someone who has long admired Butler’s work, this book made me re-fall in love with her all over again.

I was immediately captivated by the title—it’s simple, striking, and meaningful. Horses were deeply symbolic for Butler, representing freedom, captivity, and the complex realities of socioeconomic class. The way this book intertwines those themes with her personal journey was nothing short of brilliant.

Reading this felt deeply personal to me because I saw so many parallels between Butler’s life and my own. Both of our parents were Geminis, both of us were raised by single mothers who worked as house cleaners for wealthy white families. I, too, grew up feeling like an outcast—being tall, dyslexic, neurodivergent, and struggling with how others perceived me. Like Butler, I also found sanctuary in animals, and most importantly, in books. I love that she was an avid reader, because I was too—I grew up in the public library, escaping into books when the world outside felt unkind. Books weren’t just a hobby; they were my best friends, my safe haven. Seeing how Butler’s love for reading shaped her writing made me feel even closer to her, like I was rediscovering a kindred spirit. This book brought Butler to life in a way I didn’t know I needed, and now, I miss her all over again.

While I wasn’t able to access the PDF visuals referenced in the book, I know I will absolutely be purchasing both the audiobook and a physical copy because this is a book I need to own. The audiobook narration by Janina Edwards is simply stunning—she brings so much warmth and depth to the storytelling, making it feel even more intimate and powerful.

This book is a must-read for Butler fans, literary scholars, and anyone who wants to understand the early influences that shaped one of the greatest science fiction writers of all time. It’s a beautiful, moving tribute that left me emotional and in awe of Butler’s genius all over again.

A huge thank you to Oxford University Press, NetGalley, and Chi-Ming Yang for the opportunity to review this remarkable book. I feel truly honored to have experienced it early, and I know this will be a book I treasure forever.

Lastly, if there is any way to purchase an autographed copy, I would love to know how—I would absolutely be willing to buy one to have this incredible work signed by the author!

A must read for fans of Octavia E. Butler! As a audiobook, this is convenient and well narrated, but the optimal reading experience would be to have a physical or digital copy so you can see the pictures!!

The author uses each letter of the alphabet to talk about aspects of Butler’s childhood, her literary works, and her relationship with her Mother. Horses are a theme that some may not have picked up on in Butler’s work, but Yang use the explanation of Octavia’s favorite animal as symbolism; horses represent freedom, being captured and tamed, and marking the realities between socioeconomic groups.

One of my favorite tidbits of info: Octavia Butler being dyslexic & spelling Martian as “martain” may have been subversive in a world that so heavily critiques writers & ppl with learning disabilities.

Quotes I enjoyed
“When she was in 7th grade and fixated on Flash, Octavia defined “Love” as a four letter word meaning a feeling of closeness between two or more individuals, complete trust in the other.

“People tended to expected me to act my size rather than my age”

Octavia E. Butler: H is for Horse is an excellent and unique exploration of the legendary author's unpublished early works. Chi-ming Yang does a fantastic job of delving into Butler's childhood and teen years, revealing how her love of horses intertwined with the development of her writing. The book offers a fascinating glimpse into Butler's early creative mind, showing how her youthful obsessions and experiences shaped the groundbreaking stories she would go on to write. The combination of unpublished writings and drawings makes this a must-read for fans of Butler's work and anyone interested in seeing the early influences of a literary genius.

Thank you to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a heartfelt but somewhat oddly academic love letter to Octavia E. Butler, with an even stranger subtitle.

Butler was, no question, one of the greatest writers and thinkers of our time. We'll be returning to her work for generations to come, I suspect. She was a trailblazer and she viewed the world differently. This is laid bare by Yang, who gained intimate access to the work produced by Butler in her childhood.

Still, I was puzzled, even by the end of the text, about why Yang settled on horses. Butler did imagine herself as a horse character (or several) and created worlds with horse-like entities, but this was just one of the many frames that fed her worldview and inspired her later work. Butler was simply obsessed with recombination, the others, and more-than-human mindsets. Aliens, creatures, protagonists from other worlds, the end of humanity, transgressions (not only age and race) ... here, we learn that these notions formed early and grew richer as Butler gained confidence and experience and the freedom to write what she wanted to write.

Some of the content felt too intimate. Yellowed paper and mail meant for certain eyes only. And a lot of smut revelations. My goodness, did Butler like her smut, and early on! The tales she apparently penned by the time she was a middle-schooler would give modern romance writers a run for their money.

I was saddened to hear of her social and educational struggles, although not terribly surprised. Like many outcasts who struggle within the system, she found solace in the library, and this only did good for her storytelling. I was heartened by the platonic loves in her life, like her enduring relationship with her mother, who did her best by Butler in those regressive times. I was in awe at her brave spirit and expansive worldview, although unfortunately it was not as expansive as one might hope (sexually, gender-wise, etc.). Butler was racially progressive and posthumanly so, with multiracial but also multispecial characters driving unquestionably "beyond humanity" sentiments. This was a frame of mind that we discover she had early on and helps explain the patterns and progressiveness of her later works. This was a frame of mind that we discover she had early on and helps explain the patterns and progressiveness of her later works.

The narration by Janina Edwards was excellent.