Book Recommendations
The Poisonwood Bible
Barbara Kingsolver
• Missionary family goes to the
Congo in the 1960s
– Parents and 4 girls
• Culture shock for both family
and village
• Family tragedy, disintegration,
transformation
– Over 30 years
• Some return to U.S., some
stay
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Background: Congo
• Portugeuse exported 1,000,000 slaves
– starting 1500s
• Belgian colony 20th century
– Mining: diamonds, cobalt, copper, zinc,
uranium
– Rubber plantations
– Forced labor
– Life expectancy = 30 yrs in 1950s
• Independence 1960
• Elected president arrested, killed
– CIA involvement
• Mobutu government installed by U.S.
– Repressive, corrupt
– Overthrown in 1997
• Civil war killed 4 million people
– More than any war since WWII
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The Kite Runner
Khaled Hosseini
• Boys grow up in war
torn Afghanistan
• Gripping story of
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–
–
–
–
–
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Friendship
Genocide
Betrayal
Courage
Personal growth
Ending in immigration
to the U.S.
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Khaled Hosseini
• Two girls grow up in
different parts of wartorn Afghanistan
– Become wives to the
same husband
– Tragedy and survival
in the Taliban regime
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Afghanistan: Background
• Many ethnic groups, militias
fighting for years
• Soviet takeover in late 70s
– 1 million people killed
– Women encouraged in education,
professions
• 70% of teachers
• 50% of students at university
• 40% of doctors
• Soviets pull out in late 80s
– Taliban takes over
• Very conservative Islam
• Repression of women
• Increased poverty
• Taliban driven out by U.S. in 2001
– Still a problem
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