Parable of the Sower was the 1st book we read in our book club, and I couldn't be happier! 
 The book itself is reader friendly (about a high school reading level). Although, it can be difficult to keep track of all the people in the novel. If I were to guess, we encounter about 30 different people, which can be difficult for some. Also, that doesn't include the dozens of nameless people Lauren encounters on her journey too. 
 My favorite part of the book is Earthseed. Basically, Earthseed is a belief system that Lauren created. Well, perhaps she didn't create it so much as experience the world around her and write down what she has observed in life. In a nutshell, her belief system is a lot like how Newton discovered the laws of physics. Newton's laws exist, and they cannot be resisted. They are a fact of life. Perhaps the only thing about Earthseed that people might question is that Lauren calls the power that controls life God. I understand why she calls this force God. One, it is what people are familiar with and can grasp. Two, it give the force more weight. After all, Lauren wants everyone to revere this power, not just shrug their shoulders and accept it as a fact of life. However, atheists may have trouble swallowing Earthseed. 
 Interestingly, if a person doesn't take in Earthseed, it works with the allegory of the book itself. The Parable of the Sower is a story in the Bible where someone casts seeds on the earth. Some of the seeds get eaten by crows, others get thrown into thorns, and some flourish. The first represent the people who hear the Word of God and it goes in one ear and out the other. The second are the ones that hear the Word and corrupt it through greed or malice. And the third are the ones that hear the Word and accept it as a part of their lives and grow because of it. You can apply these three types of seeds to readers of the novel. Is Earthseed being planted into your brain? Is that seed thriving or being eaten by crows? In other words, is Earthseed becoming a part of your belief system? Perhaps it is, but it is growing subconsciously, so you don't even realize your belief system is shifting. I find it fascinating. 
 Another interesting factor of the book is it takes place in 2024, which is in the near future as of the writing of this review (2016). Also, there may be some monumental change to this country of Donald Trump is elected into office. He is a racist and a fearmongerer, and Butler alludes to this type of politician to being the start of the downfall of the United States. Interestingly, Trump wants to build a wall all along our Southern border to keep out Mexicans, which in the novel, is exactly what Canada does to keep out Americans. 
 In the book Canada is a first world nation, but the US is a third world nation. Slavery has come back, and racism is as rampant as ever. People cannot afford water or food, and millions of people are homeless. There are also bands of painted-faced cannibals (Mad Max style) who go around killing people and burning houses. It is certainly an exciting or scary time depending on how you look at it. Basically, if you are a kind and loving person, and unwilling to learn how to shoot a gun, you are done for, and probably wouldn't last the first half of the book. Lol! 
 All in all, I love Parable of the Sower. There is so much to think about, which makes it an excellent topic for a Book Discussion. Honestly, I can't wait to read Parable of the Talents to find out what happens next! Perhaps we'll have to read that for one of our future meetings! :)