The Poisonwood Bible

THE POISONWOOD BIBLE
by Barbara Kingsolver

 Nominations: Dublin Longlist 2000, NY Times Finalist 1998, Oprah Book Club 2000, PEN/Faulkner Finalist 1999, Pulitzer Finalist 1999, Women's Prize Finalist 1999

 Date Read: October 29, 2005

 The Poisonwood Bible tells the story of the missionary Price family, a husband and wife plus 4 daughters, from Georgia who move to a village in the Congo. Only upon arriving in the Congo do they realize how vastly different their American culture is from the African culture they are now immersed in. The family is further challenged in winning over converts to Christianity, the locals being suspicious of the customs and rituals of this foreign religion.

 In the end, the Price family makes the ultimate sacrifice for their convictions when they lose one of their daughters to snake bite. The mother, riddled with guilt, takes her 3 remaining daughters and returns to Georgia, leaving the father to continue his single-minded obsession.

 While excellently written and an intriguing story to follow, The Poisonwood Bible's most interesting concept is that of the Congolese term muntu. Muntu is a single word that describes unity, particularly how all life is connected in some way. The remaining Price girls each experience muntu in their own way and are able to relate what they went through to this concept.

 A further interesting concept is the very idea of proselytizing and trying to recruit others to adopt your point of view and belief system. This drive was overwhelming to the Price father that he was willing to sacrifice his entire family. This begs the question of whether it was worth it. Did the Congolese converting to Christianity actually improve their way of life or did it simply ease the conscience of Mr. Price? I continue to not get the desire to make others adopt your beliefs, yet this is something that many religions still actively pursue.

 Looking Forward: Flight Behavior, The Lacuna, Unsheltered

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