The Poisonwood Bible

Use these links to supplement and complement students’ reading of the work and to increase their overall enjoyment of literature. Challenge them to discern parallel themes, engage through visual and aural stimuli, and delve deeper into the thematic possibilities presented by the title.

Recommended Texts for Pairing

The Nun’s Story

• 1959 movie with Audrey Hepburn
• Centers on a young woman as a nun in the Belgian Congo, focuses on the loss and gain of religion as well as the role of women in the context of the Belgian Congo, and draws some parallels to Leah’s brief time in a convent

The Joy Luck Club

• 1989 novel by Amy Tan
• Similar first-person narrative structure from various female points-of-view, and focuses on the role of women

Other Student Resources

Methuselah in the Bible

• A Britannica article about Methuselah in the Bible
• Provides further information on the namesake of the parrot in the novel, and interestingly links to the idea of the palindrome

Palindrome

• A definition from Merriam-Webster
• Provides further information on phrasing that Adah uses in her chapters while in Africa

Teacher Resources

Addressing Sensitive or Controversial Topics in Class

• A short article on how to address topics that students may find controversial
• Given the subjects of women, marriage, and religion, in-class discussions could become polemic.