The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

epic.
tragic.
humbling.

As I load my automatic dishwasher, and perform other mundane tasks with the help of modern domestic technology, my thoughts often turn humbly to pioneers who lived full, happy, difficult lives without running water, indoor plumbing, electric stoves or forced air heating. What I now know I've been ignorant about, and what this book revealed, is the poverty and lack of modern conveniences that people TODAY live without. And that's just the backdrop to this epic novel of a religious southern American family who travel to a small village in Africa's Congo in the 1950s to live as missionaries. To call their fictional experience culture shock is an understatement. Told first person by each member of the family in turn except the cruel father, the book explores how one tragic and pivotal experience affects each family member for decades to come, while delving into the social consequences of real life political and societal events of the time. A deep story of love and loss leaves the reader with a better understanding that nothing is simple, and that at times, hope must be found within.