Tuesday, October 20

Mennonite in a LBD

I have not read this book so I don't know if it is any good but I came across is on Jezebel and I thought I would give a little nod to a Fresno author. Rhoda Janzen (any relation to Dennis Janzen the volleyball coach at FPU I wonder?) was born and raised in Fresno as a Mennonite and due to life circumstances had to move back in with her parents when she was 43 and subsequently wrote the book Mennonite in a Little Black Dress.

In an interview Janzen states:
"I had remembered the Mennonites of my youth as congenial folks, so it wasn't a surprise that I loved them as an adult. What was a surprise was that I loved what they stood for - I loved the faith itself, and the way they consistently demonstrated what they believed. For instance, when my mom learned that an elderly woman from her church was recuperating from a surgery, it wasn't a question of if she would visit. It was a question of whether to bring homemade zwiebach or a tray of platz. It was the genuine human warmth of this community that set me thinking about faith in new ways."


It looks like it would be an interesting read and I know some of you who read my blog are quite familiar with the religion so I thought you might mind it interesting as well.
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5 comments:

  1. duble-uOctober 20, 2009 at 1:33 PM

    you should ask carrie about her grandma's book.

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  2. AdamOctober 20, 2009 at 1:58 PM

    All Janzen's are related. :-P

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  3. CarrieOctober 20, 2009 at 2:11 PM

    Three books. The last one was published posthumously. Forbidden, The Jade Bracelet (my fave of the first two), & Storm Warning(haven't read yet). Written by a genuine Mennonite and definitely a warm and giving human being :-)

    Thanks Woody :-)

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  4. JustinOctober 20, 2009 at 9:34 PM

    I'm not sure if she is related to Dennis, but I know that Edmund is her father. Most of the FPU crowd had him for at least one class (JCC) and some of us had him for a couple.

    I read a great review about this and sent it on to my mom. She was going to buy the book. I'll let you know if she liked it.

    I'm curious about the books carrie mentioned...

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  5. MonticoreNovember 9, 2009 at 9:56 AM

    I saw this book the other day too and was curious. I'll but it in my que

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