a-ana (Kikongo) Child. Afrikaans A language that developed from 17th-century Dutch and is an official language of South Africa. Also called Taal. akala (Kikongo) Man. attache A person officially assigned to the staff of a diplomatic mission to serve in a particular capacity: a cultural attache; a military attache. aurora […]
Read more Study Help Full Glossary for The Poisonwood BibleBarbara Kingsolver Biography
Barbara Kingsolver is not only a contemporary American author of best-selling novels, nonfiction, and poetry, but also a freelance journalist and political activist. Kingsolver cares deeply about the world in which she lives and the people in it, and her writing attempts to change the world — to make the […]
Read more Barbara Kingsolver BiographySummary and Analysis Book 7 – The Eyes in the Trees
Summary A spirit watches from the trees as Orleanna, Rachel, Leah, and Adah walk through a market. The spirit is that of Ruth May but also that of Africa. On the day they are in the market, Mobutu, who has run away and is in hiding, dies. It is a […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Book 7 – The Eyes in the TreesSummary and Analysis Book 6 – Song of the Three Children
Summary Rachel reflects upon her life. She is proud of her hotel and how well she has kept herself, but she misses the United States and regrets not having children. She imagines she can never go home to the United States now, not after so much has happened to her; […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Book 6 – Song of the Three ChildrenSummary and Analysis Book 5 – Exodus
Summary Orleanna remembers her overwhelming grief when Ruth May died, so much so that Orleanna felt that she had to keep moving so that her grief wouldn’t catch up with her. After clearing out the house, she took Rachel, Leah, and Adah and walked out of the village. As she […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Book 5 – ExodusSummary and Analysis Book 4 – Bel and the Serpent
Summary Still haunted by her experiences in Africa, Orleanna imagines the political meetings that led to Lumumba’s demise and Joseph Mobutu’s installation as leader of the Congo nation. According to a U.S. Senate investigative committee in 1975, the United States government, including Eisenhower and the National Security Council, suggested the […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Book 4 – Bel and the SerpentSummary and Analysis Book 3 – The Judges
Summary Orleanna thinks back to the beginning of her relationship with Nathan. The United States entered World War II soon after they were married and Nathan was drafted. He was sent to the Philippines, where he received a head wound and was taken to a hospital. Meanwhile the rest of […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Book 3 – The JudgesSummary and Analysis Book 2 – The Revelation
Summary In the present day, Orleanna continues to think about her experiences in Africa and still speaks to one of her daughters. She confirms that one of her children is dead, saying, “Africa, where one of my children remains in the dank red earth,” but she does not indicate to […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Book 2 – The RevelationSummary and Analysis Book 1 – Genesis
Summary In the present day, Orleanna Price reflects upon her time in Africa, remembering walking single-file through the forest with her daughters to have a picnic on a stream bank. The forest is not only filled with life, it is alive. The huge columns of trees vibrate with animals and […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Book 1 – GenesisCharacter List
Nathan Price An evangelical Baptist preacher who takes his family into the Belgian Congo in 1959 to do missionary work. His experiences in World War II shape his uncompromising desire to be an instrument of God, even at the expense of his family. Orleanna (Wharton) Price Nathan’s wife. Spirited and […]
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