Written from the perspective of all five women in the family definitely gave me more ideas and detail. It also presented a full understanding of the characters and their relationships. Leaving Georgia to head to the Congo in the turbulent late fifties as a dedicated missionary family was hard; but staying in the Congo when the mission organization requested that all families leave -- was foolhardy and dangerous. This father, called to preach and follow God, somehow got lost in his zeal, and came to believe in his own intelligence and convictions with no regard for his family or the people he came to serve.
Each of the daughters were caught in the web of their father's iron will, and each responded so differently; but it was the most difficult for the mother --her struggle to stand up for herself and her daughters took courage and heartbreak.
The other deeper theme almost moved me more than the broken family situation. The story of a Congo reaching for independence, and electing a young leader who was killed because of countries who were reluctant to give up their lucrative business dealings in the diamond market. I again was forced to acknowledge that this country that I love, has an ugly underside where political decisions are made daily that negatively affect other places and people, sometimes simply for personal gain for us. If we fought so hard to be independent, why can't our leaders see the potential and desire in other countries for the same ideals? How does greed become so imbedded in human hearts that it blocks out objectivity and good moral choices?
