Page 6. " her poor featherless feet "

  • This passage refers to the Greek god Hermes, the messenger god. His winged sandals enabled him to fly in his role as the gods’ messenger. But he could also fly "away from the disaster [he] knows is coming", or fly to fight it if need be.

Page 7. " That one time and no other the okapi came to the stream "

  • The okapi is a mammal native to the Ituri rainforest of the African Congo. It resembles a cross between a zebra and a giraffe (but with a much shorter neck and height).For centuries, few Westerners had seen the okapi, so it was considered a near-mythic creature to Europeans until 1901, when a carcass was sent to and displayedin London.
  • They won't have Betty Crocker cake in the Congo "

Page 13. " They won't have Betty Crocker cake in the Congo "

  • Betty Crocker is a brand name created in the 1920s and belonging to General Mills. Originally, "she" was a fictional character created as the perfect American homemaker, responsible for cooking items and recipes. The brand later becamefamous for its prepared dessert mixes."In 1945, Fortune magazine named Betty Crocker the second most popular American woman;Eleanor Rooseveltwas named first" (from wikipedia entry).

Page 13. " We came from Bethlehem, Georgia. "

  • Bethlehem was the city where Jesus was born.
  • Jesus and the Price family had similar missions when they left their respective Bethlehems: to spread their truth to the world.

Page 16. " What if we went on Art Linkletter's House Party Now? "

  • Art Linkletter's House Party was a daytime TV show that dealt with just about everything. It would be similar to The Oprah WinfreyShow or others of the sort. Rachel alludes to this show because there is a segment in which the host likes to take women’s purses and reveal their contents. This is comical because the Price girls are carrying everything they can in their clothing.

Page 20. " The man in the church said they're different from us and needs ought to keep their own. Jimmy Crow says that, and he makes the laws. "

Ruth May is referring to Jim Crow Laws, which enshrined racial discrimination in the South during this period. These nineteenth century laws governed every aspect of African American existence (separate water fountains, schools, bathrooms etc). They weren't abolished until the mid-1960s

Page 26. " heedless in their nakedness "

Lot is a biblical character in the book of Genesis. He was visited by an angel who told him to flee the city ofSodom without looking back, because God was going to destroy it. As he was leaving the city with his family, Lot's wife turned to look back and was turned into a pillar of salt.

Page 31. " under which might dwell the likes of Robinson Crusoe. "

  • Robinson Crusoe is a fictional character in Daniel Defoe's 1719 novel of the same name, about a shipwrecked English sailor who survives by his ingenuity on a small tropical island.

Page 39. " "Poisonwood," she said "

Poisonwood, also known as Chechen, Coral Sumac, Caribbean Rosewood, and Cedro Prieto, is a tree found in Africa, Florida and the Caribbean. Its sap and leaves are poisonous to the touch,like poison ivy or poison oak. It causesrashes and blisters that can become serious unless treated. One of the only known cures for Poisonwoodis the sap from a Gumbo Limbo tree.

Page 60. " Either way, it is as impressive as my grocery sums in the Piggly Wiggly "

  • The Piggly Wiggly is a grocery store common in the Southern United States. It was founded in Tennessee in 1916, and the chain is still in operation today

Page 72. " Oh, we were a regular Tower of Babel "

  • The Tower of Babel appears in the Book of Genesis. It was a hubristic attempt by early mankind, united in a single language, to reach the heavens. God saw this extraordinary ambition and decided to thwart it, scattering the people across the earth and giving them all different languages.

Page 79. " we must have looked like the Lennon Sisters on Lawrence Welk "

The Lennon Sisters were singers who, in the 1950s, made television appearanceson The Lawrence Welk Show. The family faced tragedy twice: in 1954, their sixteen-month old sister was hit by a car and killed; and in 1969, a mentally-ill fan shot and killed their father.

Page 117. " Leah said we had to name it Ricky Ticky Tabby "

"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" is a short story from The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling (1894). It tells of a mongoose that fights snakes. Rikki protects his adopted human family from two cobras out to kill them. Rikki eventually rids the house and garden of all snakes.

Page 120. " They have heard of our Patrice Lumumba "

During this time, Belgium was in the process of withdrawing from the Congo.Patrice Lumumba was the central figure in the independence movement. He would eventually be elected as Prime Minister in 1960 when independence was declared.

Page 127. " snuck off to see both M.M. and Brigitte Bardot at the matinee "

  • Brigitte Bardot was a French fashion model and actress in the 1950s. She became internationally famousfor her role in the film And God Created Woman (1956).

Page 133. " I've had enough of your lip, Buster Brown "

  • "Buster Brown" was a famous comic strip created by Richard Felton Outcault in 1902. It featured a mischievious boy who is a practical joker

Page 135. " Like Daniel she enters the lion's den "

According to the Bible, as a young child Daniel was carried off to Babylon where he became famous for interpreting dreams. Later in life he was thrown into a lion's den for refusing to give up his faith. The lions in the den were expected to eat Daniel, but God protected him. Daniel was said to have a huge heart.

Page 145. " we both had to do the Verse, Genesis 4, about Cain and Abel "

Cain and Abel were the sons of Adam and Eve. God favoured Abel, and in jealousy Cain killed his brother, committing the first murder. In punishment, Cain was condemned to wander the earth alone for eternity.

Page 150. " no new record album by the Platters "

  • The Platters were one of the top vocal groups of the 1950s, selling 53 million records. They were an all black group, with one woman, which was uncommon at the time.

Page 159. " why should we have to put on the Ritz for the Underdowns? "

  • This comes from a popular song, Puttin' on the Ritz, written by Irving Berlin in 1929. The phrase means to dress nicely for company or a certain occasion, and derives from London's elegant Ritz Hotel.

Page 161. " It said Khrushchev wanted to take over the Belgian Congo "

Nikita Krushchev was Premier of the Soviet Union from 1958 to 1964. At the time, the West fearedthe Soviet Union might influencethe large and resource-rich Congo to become Communist and a threat to the USA.

Page 161. " Bingo, Bango, Bongo I don't want to leave the Congo! "

  • "Civilization" was a song written by Bob Hilliard and Carl Sigman for the 1947 Broadway musical, Angel in the Wings. It was performed by Elaine Stritch. The song is a satire sung from the perspective of a native "savage" whose village has recently been settled by a missionary trying to make the tribe "civilized". However the savage thinks differently, noting the major flaws in civilized society and ultimately deciding to stay where he is.

Page 173. " The last shall be first "

  • This is a reference to the parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, found in Matthew 20:1-16. So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen
  • It is the story of a vineyard owner who hires different groups of casual labourers for different lengths of time. At the end of the day, the landowner pays them all equally, starting payments with the last person to get there. It's a story of equality and generosity, but also of entitlement because the ones who had been there longer thought they were entitled to more.

Page 184. " We are going to make the Congo, for all of Africa, the heart of the light. "

  • Patrice Lumumbacalled for the Congo to be a light for all of Africa. This contradicted the prevalent image of the Congo as the heart of darkness, as in the title of Joseph Conrad's 1899 novella. The question, of course, is whether it was truly "primitive savages" that made the Congo "dark" or the Belgian colonists with their greed and cruelty.

Page 186. " Only this and nothing more, the tell-tale heart, tale of the carnivore. "

  • This refers to the short story "The Tell-Tale Heart" (1843)by Edgar Allan Poe.
  • The story is narrated by a deranged man, bothered by the old man who lives with him. The narrator finally snaps. He stalks andmurders the old man, and hides his remains below the floorboards. The police come to investigate but find nothing unusual, until the narrator begins to hear the heart of the old man beating inside his head--the tell-tale heart. The narrator cannot stand the pounding of the heart, and admits to his crime.

Page 197. " Nathan's company died, to the man, on the Death March from Bataan. "

  • The Bataan peninsula is located in the Philippines.American andFilippino survivors of the World War II BattleofBataan (1942) were forced to march sixty-five miles on foot over three days to a Japanese prison camp. This became known as the "Bataan Death March" because roughly 15,000 of the prisoners perished en route; they died from thirst, heat exhaustion, and the abuse of the Japanese soldiers, who whipped, beat, and shotanyone who stumbled

Page 221. " all of a sudden she's little red hen "

  • This is a character from the children's story The Little Red Hen. The hen works hard to make bread out of grains of wheat while receiving no help. When it is ready, she does not share the bread. The moral of the story is "if a man does not work, let him not eat."
  • Page 222. " as if Mrs. Donna Reed from television suddenly showed up "

Page 222. " as if Mrs. Donna Reed from television suddenly showed up

  • Donna Reed was an American film and television actress. She won the 1953 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Lorene, a prostitute, in From Here to Eternity.Ten years later Reed won the Golden Globe Award for Best Female TV Star for her performance as Donna Stone, an American middle class wife and mother, in The Donna Reed Show.

Page 244. " He was brave in the war, I'm sure, for he won a Purple Heart. "

  • Let it be known that he who wears the military order of the purple heart has given of his blood in the defense of his homeland and shall forever be revered by his fellow countrymen. - George Washington
  • The Purple Heart is a United States military medal awarded to any member of the armed forces wounded in action.

Page 269. " I slapped him hard like Elizabeth Taylor in the Hot Tin Roof "

Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011) was a glamorous movie star, particularly during the 1940s-1960s. She won two Oscars, and was nominated for her role as the spirited Maggie the Cat in the 1958film adaptation of Tennesee William's play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

Page 278. " Like an oblivious Hester Prynne "

  • Hester Prynne appears in Nathaniel Hawthorne's novelThe Scarlet Letter (1850). In the novel, the outcast Prynne has to wear an "A", standing for "adulterer."

Page 301. " Moses and the Egyptians and the river running with blood "

  • This is a reference to the story of Moses freeing the Hebrews from the Egyptians in the Bible's Book of Exodus.Godcursed the Egyptians with ten plagues, includingdisease and locusts. One of the plagues God inflicted on Egypt was turning the river to blood.

Page 317. " a hand in the diamond business "

  • Two thirds of the world's diamonds come from Africa."Conflict diamonds" are stones mined in awar zone,usually to pay for weapons and so prolong the conflict.

Page 318. " And a young Congolese man named Joseph Mobutu "

  • Joseph Mobutu took control of the Congo on September 14th, 1960, in aCIA-sponsored coup. The incumbent prime minister, Patrice Lumumba,had acceptedmuch-needed aid from the Soviet Union. All Soviet advisors fled the country, and Mobutu accused Lumumba of pro-communist sympathies. Mobutu remained dictator of Congo/Zaire for nearly three decades, until he was ousted, and subsequently died,in 1997.
  • He was one of history's most corrupt leaders, embezzling over five billion dollars from his own country.

Page 322. " The army recaptured Lumumba less than fifty miles from our village "

  • When Patrice Lumumba was captured (and, after escaping, recaptured), he was tortured and humiliated; for example, he was made to eat one of his own speeches. He was eventually executed by firing squad on January 17, 1961. American and Belgian authorities conspired in his removal, and assisted Mobutu's men in arresting and assassinating him.
  • His death was at first kept secret; thenit was claimed he had been thevictim of enraged villagers while trying to escape. Lumumba's body was eventually exhumed, cut in pieces and dissolved in sulphuric acid, in an attempt to cover up the crime.
  • Note: some of the details given by Orleanna and Leah about Lumumba'smurder are incorrect, possibly to reflect the common beliefs of the time.

Page 323. " I sat by my radio in Atlanta listening to Senator Church and the special committee hearings on the Congo. "

Senator Frank F. Church from Idaho chaired the United States Senate Select Committee that studied governmental operations. The committee examined illegal activities in government affairs, in particular those perpetrated by the CIA and the FBI. Between 1975 and 1976, the Church Committee published fourteen reports on alleged abuses of law. One report examined attempts to assassinate foreign leaders, including Patrice Lumumba of the Congo. As a consequence of the Church Committee report, President Ford was persuaded to ban U.S. invovlement in the assassination of foreign leaders (Executive Order 11905).

Page 351. " PF Flyers "

A brand of athletic shoes that are now manufactured by New Balance. PF stands for Posture Foundation. PF Flyers were developed in 1933; their patented in-sole technology set a new standard in sneaker comfort. By the 1960s, PF Flyers was one of the largest sneaker brands in America.

Page 357. " Father quoted a bible verse about the only thing we have to fear was fear itself. "

  • Rachel is mistaken as to the derivation of this quote. It actually comes from the first inauguration speech of US President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933).

Page 399. " the flame trees have roused from their long, dry sleep into walls of scarlet blossom "

Flame trees grow widely throughout the Tropics. They are also known as Flamboyants or Royal Poincianas.

Page 421. " I'd fight alongside the Simbas if they'd let me. "

  • The Congolese rebel group known as the Simbas were named after the Swahili word for "lion."The Simbas believed that they would be immune to bullets and would transform into lions during battle.
  • Page 427. " getting measured for a Dior gown "

Dior is a French company which owns the high-fashion clothing producer Christian Dior Couture as well as the world's largest luxury goods firm. Dior is controlled and chaired by businessman Bernard Arnault. The label's name derives from the designer Christian Dior who launched the couture empire in 1946.

Page 445. " You can't go to Leopoldville now, or to Stanleyville, Coquilhatville, or Elisabethville. The names of all these conquerors have been erased from our map. For that matter you can't even go to the Congo; it's Zaire. "

When Joseph Mobutu took power, he introduced a campaign of African nationalism, eliminating all vestiges of the European colonial past. Nevertheless, as head of state of Zaire, he was a disaster for his nation. He embezzled billions of dollars from the national treasury, raped the country of natural resources, built palaces deep in the rainforest, and committed multiple human rights violations against his own people.

Page 478. " Dr. Henry Kissinger himself "

  • Henry Kissinger served as the 56th Secretary of State and the 8th National Security Advisor. He played an important role in US foreign policy. He extended the policy of détente, which was introduced in the 1970s, relaxing tensions between the Soviet Union and the US.

Page 487. " But the King of Kings aroused the anger of Antiochus against the rascal "

  • The punishment of Antiochus is to be burned atop a high tower

Page 498. " an old, soft pagne printed with yellow birds "

  • A pagne, or wrapper, is a type of clothing commonly worn by women in West Africa. Pagne is an umbrella term, and it can mean anything from a loincloth to a full ensemble of draped clothing. A pagne is usually worn with a matching headscarf or head tie. The type described in this passage appears to be "fancy print," which is an informal and less expensive type.

Page 515. " I guess I should be flattered if some fellow peeks around the garden and thinks he spies Jezebel. "