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Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home |
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Amazon Sales Rank: 594
Publication Date: 2009-10-13
Release Date: 2009-10-13
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
ISBN: 080508925X
Type: Hardcover
Number Of Pages: 256
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A hilarious and moving memoir—in the spirit of Anne Lamott and Nora Ephron—about a woman who returns home to her close-knit Mennonite family after a personal crisis Not long after Rhoda Janzen turned forty, her world turned upside down. It was bad enough that her brilliant husband of fifteen years left her for Bob, a guy he met on Gay.com, but that same week a car accident left her with serious injuries. What was a gal to do? Rhoda packed her bags and went home. This wasn’t just any home, though. This was a Mennonite home. While Rhoda had long ventured out on her own spiritual path, the conservative community welcomed her back with open arms and offbeat advice. (Rhoda’s good-natured mother suggested she date her first cousin—he owned a tractor, see.) It is in this safe place that Rhoda can come to terms with her failed marriage; her desire, as a young woman, to leave her sheltered world behind; and the choices that both freed and entrapped her. Written with wry humor and huge personality—and tackling faith, love, family, and aging—Mennonite in a Little Black Dress is an immensely moving memoir of healing, certain to touch anyone who has ever had to look homeward in order to move ahead.
Average Rating: 
Review: 2009-11-16
funny at times, then long & drawn out at others...
Opening this book with a little insite to the life (My Grandfather was also "equvilant to the Pope" in his Mennonite world) I was curious of her story & looking forward to a little history. It did deliver a little history but it also offered humor. & quite funny in places too. Then the middle to the end of the book happened, where it just seemed to run on & on. It wasn't the best book I have ever read however I did enjoy it. With both of my parents raised in the close-knit community of Mennonites, I could appreciate the humor a bit more. I think that could be key to truely understanding her quandry of returning to her roots - the extremes of how she lived compared to her expectations growing up. I could relate to portions of her story due to how I was raised although my family isn't the extreme Mennonite as she described hers to be.
Review: 2009-11-12
A Different Take on the Mennonite lifestyle
I've been on a memoir kick lately. I don't really read them that much because I'm really picky about my memoirs. It all comes down to the style of writing of the author. I have tended to notice that I like reading memoirs of non famous people more so than well known folks. I also tend to like the ones that write in a chick lit-ish style which is much more entertaining to me and keeps me hooked to the pages.
I really enjoyed reading this book. As you know, I'm a fan of Amish fiction. However, even though I like the genre sometimes I feel as it it's been sugar coated for the market. That's primarily what interested me about this book, the fact that it's from a different point of view that's not from the Christian market. I liked hearing about Rhoda's background and where her roots originally came from. The stories about her parents were quite interesting to me and were actually my favorite parts of the book. I knew that Mennonites are not as strict as the Amish yet it was still a bit of a surprise to read about how modern her family was. It's obvious that the author does not want to return to that style of life yet at the same time she knows she can't forget where she came from.
I did find some of the parts about the author's marriage to be a bit boring and repetitive. I just wasn't a fan of reading about how her husband has apparently always been bi and she just now realized it. Still the rest of the book is really interesting. I loved the Mennonite primer at the end of the book. It's extremely informative and just a lot of fun to read. There is some cursing in the book and talk about sex for those who would be concerned. However they are not really an issue that takes away from the story. I would totally recommend this book for those who enjoy memoirs and especially for those who like Amish fiction but want to read a different side to the story. It's funny, entertaining and highly informative and makes for a great read.
Review: 2009-11-07
Engaging contrasts
I read Rhoda Janzen's Mennonite in a Little Black Dress and R. Rhodes' Nightwatch in the same week. What a contrast! Both books are responses to life in Anabaptist communities. And both engaged me, but for very different reasons. Rhodes' search for God and a countercultural community invited me to reinvigorate my own search, which lately has been retarded by complacency. Janzen's humorous and genuine responses to a series of personal tragedies also made me rethink my 70 years as a birthright Mennonite, especially because her sypmathetic, yet fun-making generalizations of my generation of Mennonites may fit not only her parents, but me too.
Review: 2009-11-07
Not What I Expected
I really don't know what I expected -- horses and buggies, little caps, austere lifestyle abandoned for a more worldly existence. But this book is so well written, which stands to reason since the author is a published poet and served as poet laureate of the University of California where she works as a grammarian. After some serious mishaps with her life, she returns to her parent's home, and presents the Mennonite way of life with affection and understanding, following her personal journey with a worthy appendix that delivers a concise description. As others have pointed out, it is hilarious in spots, the food descriptions in particular. Highly recommended.
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Amazon List Price: $22.00
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