Mennonite in a Little Black Dress

My latest read is Mennonite in a Little Black Dress, a memoir by Rhoda Janzen. Rhoda Janzen was living her life as in English professor when her husband dropped a bomb on her: he was leaving her for a gay man named Bob. Within that same week, she was in a car accident. She decided to take her sabbatical and head back to California to her Mennonite family.

The book focuses on her time back at home, reconnecting with her Mennonite roots. She reflects on her life growing up Mennonite. She reminisces on such things as the food they used to have to bring to lunch at school, such as borscht, or her desire to dance while growing up. She also delves into her relationship with her ex-husband and how it came to end. Her visit home is a healing process, not only physically, but emotionally.

Overall, this is an OK read. The book starts out strong but sort of drags out towards the end. It was interesting to learn about the Mennonites, since I didn't know too much about them before reading the book. Also, it's an interesting going back home story. Though Mennonite culture was not central to her adult life, Janzen never forgot where she comes from, and speaks of her Mennonite life fondly.

So, if you are looking for a  pretty easy read, that will help teach you more about Mennonite culture, this would be a good book to read.

Barrel Fever by David Sedaris

Alright, today I bring you the second book I've read by David Sedaris, Barrel Fever, a collection of short stories and essays. This set of stories is not autobiographical like they were in Me Talk Pretty One Day. There are several amusing stories, like The Last You'll Hear From Me, a letter being read at the funeral of girl who committed suicide. Another one I like, though it had a slightly disturbing ending, was Season's Greetings to Our Friends and Family. Santaland Diaries is an autobiographical essay about David's time working as an elf at Macy's during Christmas time. There are several stories in which homosexuality is either an underlying or active theme. If you are uncomfortable with that concept, then you probably won't enjoy the book. However, if you don't care, like I do, you should find all the stories amusing on some level.

Me Talk Pretty One Day

For today's book review I bring you Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. I know, I know, I'm a little late jumping on the David Sedaris train, please forgive me.

Me Talk Pretty One Day is a collection of short stories about David Sedaris' life. It is divided into two parts. The first part includes several stories about his childhood growing up near the Research Triangle in North Carolina, from when he was older and in college, and post college. The second half of the book is focused on his time in Paris, France living with his boyfriend, Hugh.

I love short stories, and I was really entertained by the stories within this collection. Some of my favorite stories include "Giant Dreams, Midget Abilities", which is about David taking guitar lessons at the bequest of his father, and "Me Talk Pretty One Day" and "Jesus Shaves", which are both about David talking French lessons while in France.

I think the thing I like most about this book is that it is so candid. He's honest about his drug use and his homosexuality. He is willing to share the awkward moments in his life in an honest and funny light. I'm now hooked. Our local Borders is going out of business, and I swiped up every David Sedaris book I could find. I look forward to reading his other collections and I highly recommend this book of short stories, especially if you want to laugh to yourself or out loud.