The Gospel of Trees

Writer and journalist Irving (This American Life) presents a reflective memoir focused on her childhood in Haiti with her Baptist missionary parents. Between the ages of six to 15, Irving mainly lived in a missionary compound in Limbe, northern Haiti, near the busy Good Samaritan Hospital. Irving's father was an idealistic agronomist, whose ambitious plans to help reforest Haiti, improve the soil, and reduce erosion often ended in terrible frustration, despite his dedication. Struggling with the challenges of missionary life and occasional Haitian political instability, Irving navigated a bumpy adolescence marked by episodes of family discord. Yet, the author was buoyed by adventure, beauty, resilience, and social connections found amid the missionary group and Haitian friends. Irving's work also sheds light on the underlying causes and consequences of Haiti's poverty and poor access to medical care. While providing a useful view of the inherent ethical and moral ambiguities of well-meaning but sometimes ineffective charitable interventions in Haiti, Irving's meandering autobiography often feels unfocused and circuitous.