Mind of My Mind by Octavia E. Butler

“Vivid ... explosive.” —Publishers Weekly

Mary is a treacherous experiment. Her creator, an immortal named Doro, has molded the human race for generations, seeking out those with unusual talents like telepathy and breeding them into a new subrace of humans who obey his every command. Mary is the result: a young Black woman living on the rough outskirts of Los Angeles in the 1970s, who has no idea how much power she will soon wield. 

Doro knows he must handle Mary carefully or risk her ending like his previous experiments: dead, either by her own hand or Doro's. What he doesn't suspect is that Mary's maturing telepathic abilities may soon rival his own power. 

By linking telepaths with a viral pattern, she will create the potential to break free of his grip once and for all—and shift the course of humanity.