Octavia Butler was born in 1947 in Pasadena, California. Since her father died when she was a child, she was raised by her mother and grandmother, and before her novels began to gain recognition, she struggled financially. Butler took jobs she described as unpleasant and "just really bad" to make ends meet, including potato chip inspector and telemarketer.
The resolve which helped her become successful has been the subject of biographical articles and interviews with the author. Some of her published journal pages have become famous for the affirmations she wrote to herself, including: "My books will be read by millions of people! So be it! See to it!"
Indeed, Butler became the first...
