Octavia Butler's novel Kindred

Octavia Butler's novel Kindred Read Octavia Butler's Novel- Kindred and answer the following questions 1. Kindred was published in 1979, but Octavia Butler chose to set the novel in two different times and places: Los Angeles in June and July of 1976, and rural Maryland from roughly 1815 to 1830. Why did she choose these times and places, and how do these choices affect the story? 2. At the beginning of the novel, we learn that Dana's arm has been amputated. How does this happen, and why do you think Butler had her lose her arm? What does it add to the novel? 3. What does the element of time travel add to the story? If Butler wants us to see the ugly realities of slavery, why not just set the entire novel during that period? Why do we need Dana at all? 4. The persistence of the past is obvious in that Rufus is Dana’s ancestor, and she has to keep him alive so that she herself will be born. But are there examples in the world of 1976 (Dana’s present) that suggest that some aspects of the heritage of slavery still persist? 5. What are your own questions or observations about the novel? If Octavia Butler were still alive, what would you like to ask her?