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Memoirs & biographical
Third Daughter: Living in a Global Village. Hilda J. Born. Imprint Press Pub., 2006. (Order from Hilda Born)
In this (her fourth) book, Abbotsford storyteller Hilda Born recounts experiences from her 75 years – growing up in Saskatchewan, moving to B.C. as a young woman, marriage to Jake Born, struggles with rheumatoid arthritis, raising five children, experiences on the farm, getting her BA at 63, and more. These short reminiscences will particularly appeal to those who know the times and places of which she speaks. Born is a member of Central Heights MB Church.
Stories Our Mothers Told. Herb Swartz. Self-published, 2006. (Order from Herb Swartz)
Herb Swartz, former long-time professor at Eastern Mennonite University, as well as MB Bible College and MB Biblical Seminary, has set down in fictionalized form the stories he and his wife Margaret heard from their mothers. Anna and Katherine both grew up in Russia. Anna accepted a proposal by letter and became a missionary mother and midwife in India; Katharine was born into wealth, but lost everything, including her young husband, and then immigrated to Canada. These tales show that one could hardly make up plots as intriguing and complicated as the lives many of our forebears led.
Surviving Decades of Change. Norma (Oswald Friesen) Klassen. Self-published, 2004. (Contact Norma Klassen)
“I share readily,” writes Norma Klassen, whose third marriage brought her into a Mennonite Brethren church (Portage Ave. Church, Winnipeg). Mennonites, she says, “tend to be very private about their emotions, hurts and problems.” This open recounting of her joys and struggles as a mother, wife, and teacher/principal, including the deaths of two husbands and a son’s accident, creates a rich legacy for her family and others, and reminds that God is with us in all circumstances.
The North End Lives: A Journey Through Poverty Terrain. Hugo Neufeld. Herald Press, 2006.
Hugo and Doreen Neufeld and their family moved into the “North End” of Hamilton, Ont. to do Christian service and social action through the Welcome Inn, a ministry of Hamilton Mennonite Church. They stayed nearly 18 years and a church gradually developed out of the ministry. Although Hamilton’s North End is characterized by poverty, Neufeld’s stories illustrate the generosity and care of its people, as well as many lessons learned by staying there for the long haul.
For kids
The Old Man’s Secret. Sandra-Kay Austin. Trafford Publishing, 2005.
Sandra-Kay Austin, member of Black Creek (B.C.) MB Church, has written a mystery story with a gentle Christian message and a Vancouver Island “feel,” aimed at readers ages 8 to 14. Main characters Corey and Miranda become friends reluctantly, but when they do, they face danger together and solve puzzles about the strange behaviour of Corey’s mother and mean Old Man Marshall.
Praying with Our Feet. Lisa D. Weaver and Ingrid Hess (illustrator). Herald Press, 2005. 40 pages.
Preschoolers, young readers, and their parents too will enjoy this book’s cheerful, colourful illustrations and the story about a girl who “prays with her feet” by participating in a walk for peace. She learns that such praying is “long,” that shoes come in “all shapes and sizes,” and that even those who can’t walk far can “stand with the God of peace.” The book includes a song score (“Praying with Our Feet”) and an afterword for adults.
Nettie’s Journey. Adele Dueck. Coteau Books for Kids, 2005.
Nettie’s Journey portrays the complex experiences of Russian Mennonites during the first decades of the 20th century through the alert, sensitive eyes of a young girl. Each chapter begins with an entry in the diary Nettie kept and then brought along to Canada. Written for 8 to 12-year-olds, this book is part of the “From Many Peoples” series, which celebrates Saskatchewan’s various cultural groups. Adele Dueck is a member of Christian Fellowship Church, Lucky Lake, Sask. and author of an earlier book for children, Anywhere But Here (1996). She also visits schools to read from and talk about her work.
Grief
Meditations for the Grieving. Richard L. Morgan. Herald Press, 2005.
This new addition to a series of “meditation” books (for single moms, the newly married, etc.) produced by Herald Press provides 30 daily readings on aspects of grief, written by a retired minister and chaplain. Each day’s reading includes a Scripture, poems, and a short commentary with stories and gentle, comforting, encouraging words. Morgan covers topics like the death of a spouse, parent, or child, Alzheimer’s disease (“the funeral that never ends”), the deceased’s “things,” memories, and more.
Family life
The Wide-Eyed Wonder Years: a Mommy Guide to Preschool Daze. Lorilee Craker. Fleming H. Revell, 2006.
Lorilee Craker grew up in a Mennonite Brethren home in Winnipeg (with parents Abe and Linda Reimer) and now lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she nurtures her marriage, is raising three children, writes (7 books and counting), and speaks for MOPS. She has a lively and very witty voice, but there’s lots of good advice and wisdom amidst the fun for moms of 3 to 5-year-olds. Other books by Craker include Just Give Me a Piece of Quiet: 60 Mini-retreats for a Mom’s Soul and O For A Thousand Nights to Sleep.
Priority Parenting: Reclaiming Your Home for Heaven’s Sake. Steve Ganger. Herald Press, 2006.
Steve Ganger advocates parent-led homes, authority, limits, and “cutting the hurry” in a culture where children are often given the lead. Six reasons parents have abdicated are: they’re gone, they want to be their child’s friend, they want to keep conflict at bay, there’s no time and energy left to be a parent, they assume it’s too late, the church has not challenged parents with the biblical mandate to lead and teach their children. Ganger says reclaiming home life begins with making Jesus the centre. He offers strategies on “empowering the parent,” “dethroning the child,” and “enthroning God.” A small book (120 pages), but solid. Includes discussion questions.
Be the Parent: Seven Choices You Can Make to Raise Great Kids. Kendra Smiley. Moody Publishers, 2006.
As the title suggests, Smiley’s message to parents is similar to Steve Ganger’s (above). Seven choices parents need to make? To be the parent, to be a role model, to be present, to be an encourager, to discipline in love, to allow failure and success, to pray. Includes action steps and Scriptures.
History & academic
Sound in the Land: Essays on Mennonites and Music. Edited by Maureen Epp and Carol Ann Weaver. Pandora Press, 2005.
Sound in the Land contains some of the essays presented at a conference of the same name at Conrad Grebel University College in May 2004, as well as several essays commissioned later. They reflect a broad conversation about Mennonite music making, including a survey of hymnals used by North American Mennonites from the early 19th century to the present, a profile of MB notable Benjamin Horch by Doreen Klassen (“Benjamin Horch as an Insider–Outsider Musical–Theological Visionary”), and reflections on what makes a musician a “Mennonite musician.”
Against the Draft: Essays on Conscientious Objection from the Radical Reformation to the Second World War. Peter Brock. University of Toronto Press, 2006.
This book contains 25 essays about conscientious objection, from 1525 to the end of World War II, by the late Peter Brock (he died this May), “the world’s leading historian on pacifism.” Reviewing the book in Mennonite Historian, Lawrence Klippenstein says Brock’s “bigger picture” is “most needed, and instructive.”
—Dora Dueck
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