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Mennonite In A Little Black Dress: A Memoir Of Going Home (2009)

by Rhoda Janzen(Favorite Author)

3.15 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

080508925X (ISBN13: 9780805089257)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Henry Holt and Co.

review 1: This is proof that I do not prefer memoirs. It is a book of memories that does not become a story with an ending. There are episodes of her childhood life and habits of her mother that are humorous. What a life she had with a husband who was bipolar even while dating. I still had a hard time with why the author felt this religious life was fine for even her sister yet not for her. It was like she was justifying it to the public but saying it is OK for some people but not all.
review 2: So there I was, sitting in Boston Market eating my supper reading "Mennonite in a Little Black Dress" and all of a sudden I start to guffaw. Everyone in the restaurant turned to look. I don't normally laugh out loud like that when reading a book, but this book is that funny! I e... moreven had my husband read the first chapter and he agreed it was funny! With her life in a shambles, Rhoda Janzen decides to move in with her parents, who just happen to be a former "Mennonite pope" and his wife. Janzen weaves stories of what it's like moving back home after nearly 20 years with hilarious stories of what it was like growing up in a Mennonite household as a young girl. Although I'm not Mennonite I did grow up in a predominantly Mennonite community. Every time Janzen named a Mennonite name, I grew up with at least one person named that. I think most of my Mennonite friends would like this book. The humor is raw, but relatively gentle. I think their parents would probably not like the book; it may be too raw for them and they might not take the humor in the way I think it was intended. Although Janzen never harps a lot on the theme of tolerance, its thread does run through the book. Though Mennonites have many customs that can seem strict to outsiders, I was struck by how intolerant those outside the faith seemed to be of those inside the faith, while Janzen's mother showed the most tolerance of all, loving her children despite the choices they made in their own faith journeys. All that being said, I thought the story bogged down near the end, as Janzen quit writing so much about making peace with her childhood as an adult and started delving into the problems that caused her marriage to crumble. Her point of view seemed to change from being outside her situation and laughing at it, to being right in the middle of it and explaining it to her therapist. I just felt like I was eavesdropping on a very personal conversation and I was uncomfortable. All in all, though, I would recommend the book - especially the first half. less

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