Mennonite in a Little Black Dress : : a Memoir of Going Home

Locations
Call Number: 921 Janzen, Rhoda, Adult Book / Nonfiction / Biography / Literary / Janzen, Rhoda
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Pittsfield Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	921 Janzen, Rhoda	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Pittsfield Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Nonfiction / Biography / Literary / Janzen, Rhoda	4-week checkout	On Shelf

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.

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Five Star Review submitted by calmesa on July 7, 2011, 7:13pm In this delightfully humorous and remarkable memoir, which tells the story of a Mennonite born woman’s acceptance of her broken marriage and appreciation for her life and faith. Janzen’s unique stylistic approach to her story brings out elements of wit and humility. Despite the unfortunate situation that life brings her when she gets into a car accident and loses her husband to a man named Bob from gay.com in the same week, Janzen is able to recover and come to the realization that she can and will move forward. Helping Janzen with the transition into her new life, in addition to her friends, are her Mennonite parents who for the most part still live the traditional Mennonite lifestyle, but accept and appreciate the life that Janzen has chosen for herself, which more than strays from the Mennonite customs. During this time, Janzen reflects on her past, bringing out some of the comical aspects of her Mennonite faith. She goes into details of ethnic Mennonite foods, like borscht (which according to Janzen carries a “toxic stink” pg. 113), that her mother packed in her school lunches as a child in a “gray diaper bag,” since her family believed in reusing things as much as possible. Imagine the horror of bringing a diaper bag into the lunchroom! Janzen is able to laugh at herself in a way that really gets readers into the spirit in which she wrote this loveable memoir. This book brings out enjoyable and meaningful discussions of faith, love, and friendship which make it an excellent choice for your book or reading group.

lots of loose ends submitted by camelsamba on July 9, 2011, 10:35pm I hated the first chapter (or two?) of this book. I almost abandoned it. The humor style in those parts just felt too forced and crass. But I kept going, and I'm glad I did. I'm also glad that I read the Appendix at the end before the last chapter or two, because it was similarly nose-wrinkling.

Some who don't like the book feel that she was too hard on her family and her the extended Mennonite community that her parents are still a part of. There were elements of that, but her affection and respect also came through.

Some other criticisms say that she didn't spend any time examining her own flaws, which led me expect no self-examination. She did do some self-examination - but perhaps not as deeply as you might expect. For example, I didn't get a good sense of why she turned her back on her faith. Was it really because of that Vacation Bible School experience at 13? Or is that just the first time she can remember questioning it, being uncomfortable with group expressions of faith? I would have liked to understand this aspect of her life better. Also, this memoir seems to be lacking a central focus - is it recovery (physical and emotional)? going home? leaving home? There wasn't a thread that tied it all together.

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress submitted by SBNB on August 22, 2018, 5:59pm I thought this book was funny and engaging. It was a quick read. I wasn't sure how I felt about her portrayal of the Mennonite culture at times. I am quite familiar with it, and it was irritating that her experience in her Mennonite community was presented as though this is how Mennonites are period. I know, I know, it's a memoir and not a study of Mennonite culture and history, but still this is how stereotypes are bred and spread. But that said, I enjoyed the book.