Growing up in a world that is built on political and religious views can be very tough to live in, especially when you are trying to discover who you are. In this heart gripping novel, Kambali and her seventeen year old brother are battling together to fight against their abusive father. Keeping peace in their Nigeria home gets to become very difficult when Kambali and her brother are expected to be perfect.

Kambali goes to an all girls religious private school, and has to be ranked first in her class. She has always dreamed of the day when her father will just accept her for who she is flaws and all. When she comes home with a not so good report card, she realizes that her dream is no longer going to be true. Kambali has learned to defend herself because her mother has just started to give up hope.

Kambali's father is a very conservative person; he is very in tune with what is going on with the government. He and some of his friends have been running an underground newspaper business called The Standard. It becomes very difficult when their hometown of Nigeria is battling a war over the next president. In order to try to keep his family safe they stay at their winter home in the outskirts Nigeria. On her trip to discover herself, Kambali ends up falling in love with a boy who is under the expectations of what her father wants for her. Sadly, Kambali has to keep her newly discovered love a secret form her family.
This book opened my eyes to political and religious views that different countries face, and how it affects the lives and opinions of a teenager. Especially in a different country where women are not supposed to be involved the government and know what is going on in the political world. Purple Hibiscus is a great book for readers who like to read about the political and religious hardships that different countries face, and how that can affect the lives of a teenager.