In The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver weaves the complicated tale of a Georgian family's life-altering encounter with the Congo during its battle for independence throughout the 1960s and 1970s. The Price family consists of four opinionated daughters, a downtrodden mother, and an overbearing father whose evangelical mission work lands the family in the middle of a war-torn country increasingly distrustful of foreign influence. Each chapter alternates voice among the female members of the family who never fail to present the man of the house as a despicable figure blustering out opinions and neglecting the individuals around him. The beauty of Kingsolver's story lies in the way she presents multiple experiences of a fixed time of historical importance while highlighting the common human experiences of questioning parental decisions and choosing one's path into adulthood. 
 While some may find the portrayal of a Christian missionary to be offensive to overall Christian values, the character of Nathan Price cannot possibly be considered an example of a sanctioned religious messenger. Other characters introduce positive aspects of missionaries in African countries while still provoking a need to question the relationship between spreading a gospel and facilitating colonization. 
 I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in African history, intercultural relationships, Southern U.S. culture, or dysfunctional family dynamics.