(30) Mennonite In A Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen

Monday, March 1, 2010


My first book of the challenge and it was just "eh".



Mennonite In A Little Black Dress is a memoir about a woman who grew up in the Mennonite church. In fact her father what a "bigwig" in the church. Rhoda goes home to her parents after her husband leaves her for a man he met on Gay.Com. Less than a week later she is in a car accident that leaves her body as broken as her marriage. So she does what every woman does when her world is literally shattered, she goes home.

Rhoda Janzen then goes on to regale us with tales of her Mennonite childhood and what it is like to go back to her parent's home. From her Mom trying to set her up with her cousin to a road trip to her sister's, we get to hear all about her experiences in the Mennonite faith. I will say that the most interesting part of the book was the Appendix. A Mennonite History Primer covers a lot of the myths and misconceptions about the Mennonite Faith. For that, I am glad I read the book.

Like other memoirs I have read recently, Mennonite In A Little Black Dress did not have me laughing out loud. There may have been a chuckle here or there, but not enough for me to tell you to run right out and buy it. If you have any interest in this culture, then you might be interested in reading this book. But do not expect it to be reverent and respectful, it is a book that has an entire chapter devoted to farts. And that wasn't even a chapter that evoked chuckling.

I keep striking out with the non-fiction books. I think I am going to stick with the fiction side of the aisle.

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