Review of Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen

Truth is stranger than fiction, the saying goes. And Rhoda Janzen, in her memoir Mennonite in a Little Black Dress, proves that. Soon after turning 40, Janzen, a poet who teaches at Hope College, has major gynecological surgery. And not long after that, Janzen's husband, Nick, leaves her for a man. The same week Nick leaves her, Janzen is injured in a serious car accident. It sounds like a soap opera, but it's true.

Janzen decides to take a well-deserved breather at her parents' home in California. The kicker is that her parents are Mennonites, a faith she has tried to distance herself from for years. Her mother is always upbeat, while her father is more austere. They welcome her home with open arms, and Janzen does her best to try to heal.

This memoir is not just the story of Janzen looking back on her childhood and the Mennonite religion. It's also the story of her failed marriage to a man who was bipolar and bisexual-- that's a lot of bi. And her memoir is also about coming to grips with the life that she has chosen. An academic, Janzen strays from her upbringing, where too much education is considered a bad thing.

The tone of this memoir is light. Too light. I know that Janzen wanted to have a light-hearted tone, but in some places, this works against her. This is serious stuff she's tackling-- surgery, faith, divorce, mental illness. And yes, she can find humor in it, which is great. But all of this is deserving of a more serious tone on occasion.

All in all, though, I enjoyed the book, especially Janzen's interactions with her mother-- an always cheerful woman who suggests her daughter date a cousin-- and the various Mennonites in her orbit. I also found it interesting to read about Janzen's relationship with her siblings-- her brothers continue to follow the Mennonite religion, but her sister does not.

I admire Janzen for bouncing back from such adversity and for being so honest about everything that has happened to her.

Just One Pink gives Mennonite in a Little Black Dress a 7.5.