The Missionary Kids By Holly Berkley Fletcher Reviewed By Geoffrey W. Sutton The Missionary Kids Abstract In The Missionary Kids: Unmasking the Myths of White Evangelicalism (2025), Holly Berkley Fletcher combines memoir, oral history, and historical analysis to examine the lived realities of missionary children (MKs). Drawing on her upbringing in Kenya and interviews with other MKs, Fletcher challenges romanticized portrayals of missionary life by exposing the cultural dislocation, spiritual neglect, and emotional burdens often carried by children in missionary families. The book is structured around four parts: the myth of parents as martyrs, the imposed nature of missionary “calling,” the spiritual neglect of MKs in boarding schools, and the collective testimony of resilience and loss. Fletcher’s dual perspective as both historian and former CIA analyst enriches her critique of evangelical institutions and their impact on children. This work contributes to schola...
Interdisciplinary Book Reviews is a publication of academic reviews dealing with culture. Of particular interest are works that are of interest to more than one academic discipline. Most reviews are of nonfiction works addressing some aspect of culture from the perspective of science, religion, history, or philosophy. We may earn income from purchases of advertised products or links.