This is a riveting and beautifully-written story of an evangelical Baptist (Nathan Price) who takes his wife and four daughters on a mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959. I’ll be honest- this is not the type of book I would typically gravitate toward, but I read it on a recommendation from a friend and am so glad I did. First, the bad news: It’s 600+ pages. So for all you readers who prefer your books short and sweet– this one isn’t for you. Now for the good news: This exploration of colonialism and post-colonialist attitudes (as told from the point of view of the the five Price women) is captivating, enlightening and thought-provoking. It probably won’t make you question what you believe, but it might make you question why you believe it.
From Goodreads: The Poisonwood Bible is a story told by the wife and four daughters of Nathan Price, a fierce, evangelical Baptist who takes his family and mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959. They carry with them everything they believe they will need from home, but soon find that all of it — from garden seeds to Scripture — is calamitously transformed on African soil. What follows is a suspenseful epic of one family’s tragic undoing and remarkable reconstruction over the course of three decades in postcolonial Africa. Check it out on Goodreads!