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| The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver |
I loved the first half of the book, because the characters were full of raw emotions and distinct voices and personalities. It's normally a struggle for me when every chapter is from a different POV, but the story flowed so well with Barbara's characters. In fact, the different voices balanced the hopes and fears of each character, so what could have been a depressing storyline turned into a all encompassing one.
The second half was harder for me to read. There was a distinct shift in the book, almost like I read two different books. All of a sudden years passed between each chapter, and I felt that I missed chunks of the story. It's like a whole new group of actors replaced the original cast after the first season. Same names but not the same people. While I understand her reason for this time shift (to show how the Congo shaped each of characters' lives), it was still a struggle for me.
Overall, it's easy to see why this book is used in school English departments. From an educational standpoint, the book is full of history, character styled writing, and figurative language (seriously, the language is so rich, that Barbara paints pictures with her words). From my standpoint, I missed the characters I met and loved in the first half of the book!
Title: The Poisonwood Bible
Author: Barbara Kingsolver
Publisher: Harper Perennial Modern Classic
Published: 1998
This book hit home on a very personal level. For anyone that has served a mission (regardless of religious faith), this book is a reflection of the emotions felt when away from home in an unfamiliar place. When I was 21, I chose to serve as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For a year-and-a-half I lived in various cities in the mission Brasil, Goiânia sharing everything I knew and loved about two special books—The Bible and The Book of Mormon.
As a missionary we looked for ways to help in service, share our talents to uplift others, and of course invited everyone to follow Christ by being baptized by those who have the priesthood authority to do so.
I learned 6 major lessons from my mission experiences, some things Nathan Price could have learned:
1. There is beauty ALL around
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| Just because someplace is different from what you're used to doesn't mean it's bad. Keep your eyes and your heart open at all times, or you may miss out on the beauty around you! Dirt roads often have the best scenery. |
2. Education never ends
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| I was the only American in this entire city, meaning I either learned to speak Portuguese...or else! There is so much to learn in the world, so much we are able to learn, that we should take advantage of every opportunity to learn something new. |
3. Live simply, happily, and with purpose
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| This was our "laundry room" —an outdoor sink with wires strung across for us to hang our clothes to air dry. There were no carpets, no a.c. units, and we walked to get anywhere. It was hard, but we knew why were doing it, so we were oh so happy! |
4. Count your blessings
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| We walked all day, every day (with the occasional bus ride). Missionary shoes are proof of the physical demands of sharing the gospel. I'm so grateful that my body was healthy enough to walk and work on tar, concrete, and dirt roads, in the pouring monsoon seasons and the 100 degree summers. |
5. Love = Service |
| You cannot serve someone and not end up loving them. The people of Brasil have a year-and-a-half of my service and a lifetime of my love. |
6. Enjoy the journey
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| Our work as missionaries was important, but my fondest memories of the mission include smiles and laughter. Life is a journey, so we need to make sure that we allow ourselves to enjoy it. This street translates to Lollipop Road :) |
If you would like more information on what I did as a missionary, just send me an email: boofaireblog (at) gmail (dot) come
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