Kindred by Octavia Butler

 genre: science fiction/historical fiction

When Dana is ripped from 1976 and dropped into 1815, she meets a young boy white boy named Rufus and she saves his life before she's back in her own time.  But then it happens again - and Dana begins to understand the depth of her reality when she's out of her own time.  Because she's Black, Dana's life is in a precarious balance - and Rufus is not the kind of person she can rely on to have good judgment.  Knowing that they both depend on each other - is that enough to make them trust each other and the blood that Dana thinks they share?

Okay, this is amazingly written.  Fast paced and SO thought provoking.  Dana's modern perspective on slavery AS IT IS HAPPENING AROUND HER was gutting and so painful.  Her introspection, her horror and yet strange complicity because of the circumstances was so intriguing.  When we were in antebellum Maryland, I was solidly there, it felt so grounded.  The intricacies of relationships, the twisted nature of master and slave and love and hate - it's all explored and picked apart.   Yes, it requires maybe a little more suspending of your disbelief because of the time slip aspect but I feel like I learned a little bit more about the Black experience during slavery while reading a really compelling story.  So glad I finally read it, Octavia Butler is a genius and I'm glad she's got more books for me to read.