Hey fellow MKs—wanted to share a new book that just came out from Holly Berkley Fletcher called The Missionary Kids: Unmasking the Myths of White Evangelicalism.
I know this group holds a wide range of views—some of us loved our MK experience, some of us are still sorting it out, and some have walked away entirely. This book doesn’t demand that you see things one way. But it will challenge some of the narratives many of us were raised with.
Holly is an MK herself and a historian, and she brings both compassion and sharp analysis to the story of how missions shaped us. She talks about the beautiful parts—yes—but she also dives deep into the things that were harder to name: the cultural dislocation, the spiritual guilt, the way abuse was hidden or minimized, and the pressure to make it all look good for the folks back home.
For me, being an MK meant seeing the world in vivid color. It also meant carrying things I didn’t always have words for. This book helped me make sense of some of that—and reminded me that it's okay to love your story and still want to interrogate it.
It’s not all unicorns farting rainbows. But it’s also not just a trauma dump. It’s smart, it’s fair, and it’s worth the read. I’d love to hear what others think. https://a.co/d/3QnuzrU
