Historical Review: The Poisonwood Bible

Today's review is over a personal favorite of mine, Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible. This book takes place in colonial/independent Congo, and follows the stories of four girls as they adapt to the tension-filled atmosphere of Africa. This book is amazing in how the girls all become a part of Africa, and looks deep into the US' involvement in the containment of communism and whether or not it was morally right. At the end, I'll guarantee you'll feel bad for being an American. I know I was. Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: You know by now.

I considered myself a good Christian. While I went to church on Sundays sparingly, I did a lot in my community for the name of Christ. I tried donating and volunteering, and not swearing quite as much. I never thought to convert any of my friends or family because I respected their opinions. But this book has opened my eyes to what forcing religion on other people actually does not only to them, but also to your own family, with dire consequences. The Poisonwood Bible, the chronicles of a mother and her four daughters as they live in the Congo during its Belgian occupation and the reigns of Lumumba and Mobutu (spanning from 1959-1990), not only challenges the deep-seeded morals of religion, but also the morals of the United States and its “democratic” dealings with the country of Congo/Zaire from independence to dictatorship.

I found that every character in this story seems to be searching for their own redemption in the Congo, whether they admit it or not. As it goes, not one of them gets it. This shocked me, as I’ve never read a story where not one, but almost all of the main characters never got to their goals of life. But I also learned that Africa is not a forgiving land. The people are different and strange, the grounds hard to tend, and the customs almost as far from Christianity as you can get. I felt almost frustrated myself reading, time and time again, how the Prices were ostracized and cast out, but then remembered the almost evil desire in Nathan Price’s mission to convert Africa against their will to a religion they didn’t understand. As the Prices fall further and further from the light, the dealings in Congo seem to mirror their efforts. Even with independence, the Congolese become enslaved again. The daughters all complain at length about their shortcomings, and they all seem to be indifferent to what is going on around them. Do they know that Congo is not the US? Do they know that their mission is hopeless? The themes of loss, regret, and growth go hand in hand in this book; where a loss is regretted, the characters grow a little. It only takes a big loss for the Prices to completely evolve, a loss which, I will admit, shocked me. Kingsolver’s own time in the Congo shows through here, and I feel that the personal experience definitely helps give the story ethos, and her diction/palindromes are exquisite.

A book very similar to Poisonwood is The Ransom of Mercy Carter, a story hundreds of years and miles away from the Prices. It focuses on the kidnapping of the title character and her life in an Indian tribe in colonial America, but is essentially the same story: she experiences losses and regrets similar to the Prices, but in the end makes her own growth to stay where she calls home. The only difference is that Mercy has a happy ending, while the Price’s is bittersweet. Still, The Poisonwood Bible has affected me on both a political and spiritual level. I don’t think I can ever give Communion again without thinking of the Congo, and at the end of the day, I think that’s exactly what Barbara Kingsolver wanted.

I would definitely recommend this book if you're learning about Africa! It really shows how bloody and violent the US' choices ended up being. Also, try switching from Congo to Zaire and back within 40 years; it's not fun.

-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep