DownloadDec. 7, 2009 issue
Memoir of going home is acclaimed, critiqued
By Paul Schrag Mennonite Weekly ReviewRhoda Janzen freely admits readers shouldn’t take everything in her new memoir literally.
Rhoda Janzen’s memoir has received praises and critique for its treatment of Mennonites. — Photo provided
“It is obviously written in a humorous style, so there is exaggeration,” she said of Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home.
Janzen’s style — “snort-up-your-coffee funny, breezy yet profound and poetic without trying,” The New York Times said — has sparked a buzz most writers can only dream about.
Her story of returning to the Fresno, Calif., Mennonite Brethren community where she grew up has garnered positive reviews, articles and interviews in People, Entertainment Weekly, Time magazine’s Web site, USA Today and other publications.
Publicity has driven brisk sales. In late November the book was in its third printing by Henry Holt and Co. and stood at No. 434 on the online retailer Amazon’s sales chart.
Janzen’s mainstream success stands in contrast to some negative reactions in the Fresno Mennonite community.
Some find Janzen’s humor at times offensive and insensitive. They note factual errors and say she promotes misconceptions about Mennonites.
“People here by and large don’t like it,” said Hope Nisly, acquisitions librarian at Fresno Pacific University. “There’s a sense that she’s not being completely accurate and is a little mean-spirited.”
Nisly’s personal reaction is mixed.
“I like the humor. I realize it is very biting,” Nisly said. “She does what writers do. They make a story. But I think she stepped beyond that.”
Comments
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Well I, for one (a fellow former "pope's daughter" of a related branch of Mennonitry), wrote the author after reading the book, lauding her work and thanking her for the gift of its humor.
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In enjoyed the book in many ways, but there was thing that bothered me a great deal about it. The book spoke consistently about being a Mennonite, as being a matter of ethnicity and culture.
For the many Mennonites who are not only not low German, but also of color, this feels like a slap in the face. If the author had even made one passing reference in her epilogue to the fact that Anabaptists are of every ethnicity, and that many people come to the faith not from heritage but by choice, I would feel much better about it.
Of course, part of the problem isn't this book, but rather that the author's behavior is actually pretty common in Anabaptist circles. More than once I've been told that, "well you don't have a Mennonite name?" I always smile and say, "well I didn't grow up Mennonite," but another part of me says, "yes it is a Mennonite name, because I'm a Mennonite and that is my name."
Anyway I hate to even raise the criticism because overall I found the book to be humorous and thoughtful. But this omission is too troublesome to not comment on.
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I loved this book, partially because of the honestly she had in sharing her "not so perfect" journey, and for pointing out several mirrors of the Mennonite culture, though they may be offensive to some. I appreciate the fact that one who wrestles with the Mennonite faith has a place to read and wrestle and not feel alone. Often as peacemakers the Mennonite Church avoids ambivalence and accepting others who may not see the faith as the majority do. It's nice to have this book for dialog.
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