A remarkable, unromantic portrait of a family of Southern Baptist missionaries in the 1960s Belgian Congo, "The Poisonwood Bible" is perhaps the pinnacle of novelist, essayist, and poet Barbara Kingsolver's career, earning her a Pulitzer Prize nomination. Nathan Price, a zealous and self-righteous Baptist preacher, his wife and four daughters leave Georgia for the Congo in 1959 with the wrong supplies, no relevant information about the Congo or the Congolese, and good intentions . They discover a new culture, within which their social and value systems have no place and often lead to disaster. They discover a world of dangerous flora and fauna, where a careless step in their own front yard can result in injury or even death. "The Poisonwood Bible" is a moving cautionary tale, warning the reader that the line between devoutness and fanaticism is as fine as life and death.
In her first novel since "Pigs in Heaven", Kingsolver offers a compelling exploration of religion, conscience, imperialist arrogance, and the many paths to redemption. An American missionary and his family travel to the Congo in 1959, a time of tremendous political and social upheaval. Web feature.