By "Christian lady" Leah really means "American gender norms," like not climbing trees or playing in the dirt. (Um, there's an age limit on that?)

If the situation were reversed, and the villagers of Kilanga were in America, this might actually matter. As it is, with the Prices being the only English speakers in the village, this "advantage" amounts to nothing more than a pile of fufu.

What are the Kilanga girls sad about? What are they happy about? And can you have marriage without sorrow? A better question might be whether you can have adulthood without sorrow.