Adulthood Rites (Xenogenesis #2) by Octavia E. Butler

Dawn

Adulthood Rites is the second in the Xenogenesis trilogy.  When we last left this world, Lilith had to cooperate with her alien captors in a number of ways to be able to return to Earth, including mating with them for the purposes of procreation. She has had children on Earth, but these children are "constructs," in that they resemble humans as children, but grow into the alien-form, Oankali, after they metamorphize. One of her sons, Akin, is kidnapped by human resisters who shun contact with the Oankali. By the time Akin has been rescued, he has formed bonds with the resisters and decides that humans should have the chance to start again with their own society away from Oankali interference. This book is mostly told from Akin's point of view, a switch to someone who is part-human, part-Oankali, and is in that very challenging place of feeling as if his identity is unclear and that he belongs nowhere.

The questions this book raises are so big. Are humans destined to destroy the entire race, either through violence or genetic mutations?  What rights do we have to control our genetics and reproductive rights? What is the "correct" level of assimilation to a new idea, culture, or agent? I have so many thoughts whirling about in my head based on this book and I don't even know where to start. I'll do my best to do justice to this book.

The parallels to colonialization and assimilation are just spot on. Someone invades your homeland and you have the choice to either assimilate with all the losses of culture and freedoms that come with that or you reject the colonizers' rights to your body and your land and become "terrorists." The relationships between those who have assimilated and those who have not become tense. The colonizers do not understand why anyone is sad or upset about this change of status because what they bring to the table should make everyone safer and healthier and better. The best thing about this book is that all of this (and more) is in there, but Butler never just says the thing.  She shows it through interactions and thoughts and is simply brilliant. 

One of the things that the Oankali has done to humans is made them sterile unless they mate with Oankali themselves. In light of what's going on with access to abortion, birth control, and general women's health care right now, this particular storyline seems so prophetic. The Oankali have done this because they want to control the genetic traits that kill people (cancers, etc.), but in doing so, they've created a community of people, specifically the resisters, who don't have a hope for the future. They cannot have children and the feeling that the future is not worth living for creates an unsustainable living situation for them. 

The biggest theme that I see throughout this book is about whether or not human beings are irredeemable. Should humans be given another chance with another planet? To be trustees of a planet that they have not contaminated with pollution and material goods? Should they be given a chance to reproduce naturally, with all the dangers and mutations that come along with that? Should they be given a chance to work together and not kill one another over resources, disagreements, or religion? Or are humans bound to just kill themselves somehow no matter what?

If you can't tell, I think this is brilliant. Just brilliant. 5/5 very enthusiastic stars

Line of note:
"What lesson is condescension supposed to teach me about this group of my people?"

He would not have spoken so bluntly if Lilith had been with him. She insisted on respect for adults. Dichaan, though, simply answered his questions as he had expected. "Teach them who you are. Now they only know what you are..." (page 206)