Hutterite Diaries: Wisdom from My Prairie Community - Book Review

I received book for review from Litfuse Publicity Group.  The opinions within this post are of my own and I was not influenced in any way.  Please do your own research before purchasing products or using services.  Your opinions and results may differ.

What would it be like to share all your possessions and live in Christian community?

In Hutterite Diaries, Linda Maendel offers a rare glimpse into the daily routines and communal faith of her people, the Hutterian Brethren. From stories of working together to bring in the fall potato harvest to laugh-out-loud tales of sisterly love laced with revenge, Maendel invites readers into her Bruderhof, or colony, nestled on the prairie of western Canada. Here children and adults work, play, eat, and worship together, crafting a community of goods and living out an alternative to the individualism and consumerism of mainstream society.

Few outsiders know anything about the Hutterites, a Plain Christian group related to the Amish and Mennonites. Maendel's story invites readers into deeper understanding of this community of faith, calling us to take seriously the example of Jesus and the early church in our daily living.

About the author:

Linda Maendel is a Hutterite author, blogger, and educator who lives in Elm River Colony outside of Winnipeg, Manitoba.

 

My Review:

 

I've always been intrigued by different cultures and ways of life.  The Amish and Mennonites especially pique my curiosity.  I wasn't aware until recently that there are Hutterites, a Plain Christian group that closely follows the ways of the Amish and Mennonites.  Although, I learned, Hutterites are more open to some modernism.  Although I readily admit I'm not cut out to live those lifestyles, I have lots of respect for some of their ways.  Hutterite Diaries: Wisdom from My Prairie Community, written by Linda Maendel, offers insight and glimpses of how the Hutterite people live.  The author, a Hutterite herself, shares memories and stories of the Hutterite work ethic, religious beliefs, sense of community, and more. 

 

This is not a fact-driven book that will give you all the specifics and statistics on the Hutterite people.  It's a book where the author lends her personal stories and recollections.  Linda does go more specifically into the Hutterite lifestyle with a Q&A section at the back of the book.  There are a few black and white photos included, showing the Hutterite ways.