Lilith's Brood by Octavia Butler

  Lilith's Brood by Octavia Butler was split into three short stories.  The first of the three, Dawn, introduces Lilith and the world that she has been brought into.  The story overall is very telling about being human, and that that means and what it comes with.  The Oankali offer to save the humans, but only if they agree to breed with them and therefor form an interdependence.  Lilith ultimately ends up pregnant with the first Oankali and human child.  The second story, Adulthood Rites, shows a humanity that is divided by those who think that it's wrong to breed with the Oankali, and some who think that it's fine.  The society is separated essentially by people who are acceptant, and those who are resisters.  This does not reflect a majoritarian society at all.  Akin is Lilith's son, all grown up, and is conflicted about how he is half human and half Oankali.  Therefor, he understands both sides; that the humans want their own children and humanity, and that the Oankali want to continue on as a race.  The resisters capture him and ultimately he meets an Akjai, which is an Oankali with no human DNA.  He realizes through this that there need to be humans without Oankali DNA, and persuades the Oankali to allow the humans to live on Mars.  The second story sets up the the third story, Imago, quite well.  In Imago, everything is wrapped up with humans and Oankali end up being more equal than in the previous stories. 
  In my opinion, the stories focus a lot on what being human entails.  It shows what humans want and need in order to survive, and how that may differ from other beings.  Ultimately, the stories show a lot of what happens when a society is divided, and the impact that it can have on society as a whole as well as individuals.

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