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“Anatole has been explaining to me the native system of government. He says the business of throwing pebbles into bowls with the most pebbles winning an election—that was Belgium’s idea of fair play, but to people here it was peculiar. To the Congolese (including Anatole himself, he confessed) it seems odd that if one man gets fifty votes and the other gets forty-nine, the first one wins altogether and the second one plumb loses. That means almost half the people will be unhappy, and according to Anatole, in a village that’s left halfway unhappy you haven’t heard the end of it. There is sure to be trouble somewhere down the line.”
― The Poisonwood Bible
― The Poisonwood Bible
“To the Congolese (including Anatole himself, he confessed) it seems odd that if one man gets fifty votes and the other gets forty-nine, the first one wins altogether and the second one plumb loses. That means almost half the people will be unhappy, and according to Anatole, in a village that’s left halfway unhappy you haven’t heard the end of it. There is sure to be trouble somewhere down the line.”
― The Poisonwood Bible
― The Poisonwood Bible
“There is no intoxicant more dangerous than the passion of love; intoxicating both the holder and the beholder.”
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“He is the one wife belonging to many white men. Anatole explained it this way: Like a princess in a story, Congo was born too rich for her own good, and attracted attention far and wide from men who desire to rob her blind. The United States has now become the husband of Zaire’s economy, and not a very nice one. Exploitive and condescending, in the name of steering her clear of the moral decline inevitable to her nature.”
― The Poisonwood Bible
― The Poisonwood Bible
Literary Fiction by People of Color
— 13218 members
— last activity 11 hours, 15 min ago
This can include genre fiction that is literary (e.g. speculative fiction, historical fiction, etc.), as long as it's written by a person of color (Af ...more
Great African Reads
— 4185 members
— last activity 18 hours, 3 min ago
Here is an overview of the group reads & activities: Regional reads Nominations and Book discussions. Buddy Reads Find someone to read along with!. Sh ...more
SA Book & Challenge Lovers
— 1918 members
— last activity Feb 14, 2026 06:39AM
Welcome to SA Book & Challenge Lovers. This book club is for anyone, not just South Africans, that love reading and doing reading challenges. Everyone ...more
Ava’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Ava’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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