Maybe it’s her credential as a biologist that gives author Barbara Kingsolver a thrillingly unique perspective into the natural worlds her characters live in, even as she creates lively worlds in the interiors of their minds. Set in the Belgian Congo beginning in 1959, The Poisonwood Bible is Kingsolver’s masterpiece, a modern classic first published in 1998, epic in scope and size. It’s the story of a family of American Christian missionaries, a mother and four daughters led by a domineering father, who travel to preach the word of God to the Congolese natives. Once there, their preconceived notions are challenged, and their ideologies shatter, even as they learn of the darkness and beauty that exists outside of their prayer books.