Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home
by Rhoda Janzen
Summary
Not long after Rhoda Janzen turned forty, her world turned upside down. It was bad enough that her husband of fifteen years left her for Bob, a guy he met on Gay.com, but that same week a car accident left her with serious injuries. Needing a place to rest and pick up the pieces of her life, Rhoda packed her bags, crossed the country, and returned to her quirky Mennonite family's home, where she was welcomed with open arms and offbeat advice. (Rhoda's good-natured mother suggested she date her first cousin—he owned a tractor, see.)
Written with wry humor and huge personality—and tackling faith, love, family, and aging—Mennonite in a Little Black Dress is an immensely moving memoir of healing, certain to touch anyone who has ever had to look homeward in order to move ahead.
Praise
"I loved this book, and Rhoda Janzen. She is a terrific, pity, beautiful writer, a reliable, sympathetic narrator, and a fantastically good sport." — New York Times Book Review
"It is rare that I literally laugh out loud while I'm reading, but Janzen's voice—singular, deadpan, sharp-witted and honest—slayed me." — Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love
"Hilarious and touching" — People (four stars)
"A spirited, fascinating memoir ... Janzen's story reminds us what a beautiful gift our past can be." The Miami Herald
About the Author
Rhoda Janzen holds a PhD from the University of California, Los Angeles, where she was the University of California Poet Laureate in 1994 and 1997. She is the author of Babel's Stair, a collection of poems, and her poems have also appeared in Poetry, The Yale Review, The Gettysburg Review, and The Southern Review. She teaches English and creative writing at Hope College in Holland, Michigan.
|
Facebook
