Book Recommendations

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Book Recommendations
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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 RunnerKhaled Hosseini

• Boys grow up in war torn Afghanistan
• Gripping story of
• Friendship
• Genocide
• Betrayal
• Courage
• Personal growth
• Ending in immigration to the U.S.

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A Thousand Splendid SunsKhaled Hosseini

• Two girls grow up in different parts of war-torn
  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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