Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

Written in 1993, this dystopian novel shows us a world in which economic inequality has grown so that there are haves hiding behind fenced in areas, kind of haves who are people making do with homemade fences and barricades, and have nots who are homeless and live in dangerous, unpoliced areas.  Environmental crises have led to water being more important and more rare than gasoline. There's a politician whose slogan is "America Great Again," but most people don't bother voting because the government stopped being in charge long ago.  The police need to be paid to investigate crimes and corruption in the police force is rampant. 

Many of the homeless are addicted to a new drug that causes them to set fire to things, and with water such a scarce resource, arson is a larger and larger problem.  People become hooked on this drug because there doesn't seem to be a way out of the social caste into which they are born.  People with disabilities cannot survive in this world.

Some people move into neighborhoods sponsored and protected by large corporations. They soon find themselves in debt to their employers and while they have a job and housing, they are unable to leave. The price of freedom is safety.

Wow.  It's only been 24 years, my friends. Butler was clairvoyant.

And then there's a relatively boring story of a young teenage girl's spiritual development that Butler seems to focus on.  As a non-religious person, I found this part snooze inducing, but the overall world building was so terrifyingly prescient that I couldn't stop turning the pages.