I Am Hutterite
Mary-Ann Kirkby
2010
232 pages
Published by Thomas Nelson
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Bought by me. (And to answer Melanie‘s question, I found this at Barnes and Noble…they were displaying it at the front of the store in their new authors area.)
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This book is marketed as “the fascinating true story of a young woman’s journey to reclaim her heritage.” Actually, it’s not so much Mary-Ann’s story as it is the story of her family…her grandparents and parents and her extended family at New Rosedale and Fairholme colonies, two of the nearly 40,000 Hutterite colonies in the US and Canada.
According to hutterite.org:
The Hutterian Brethren or Hutterites are a religious group originating from the Reformation of the 16th century. They are a communal people, living on scattered bruderhöfe or colonies throughout the prairies in North America.
The Hutterites and Mennonites (and thus the Amish) share common roots. Both of these sects are Anabaptists and both of these movements trace their beginnings to the same period of time, to the same occurrences, during the Reformation.
Their roots are found in Switzerland where a group of Bible students came to the conclusions that:
- baptizing babies is not biblical
- the Bible requires the separation of church and state
- a Christian should not wield the sword (pacifist)
- the Lord’s Supper is symbolic of the suffering of Jesus, and should be done in remembrance of him
These 4 points became the basis for this movement. The followers of this movement are known as the Anabaptists or re-baptizers. They are called rebaptizers because they were baptized a second time, in adulthood.
The religion of the Hutterites is unique in their belief in the community of goods in which all material things are held in common. This idea is gleaned from the teachings of Jesus, where he explained to the rich young ruler what he needed to do to receive eternal life (Matthew 19); from the fact that Jesus and his disciples shared everything (John 12); from the early church where the apostles and their followers held all things in common (Acts 2: 44-47). Hutterites believe community of goods is the highest command of love.
All members of the colony are provided for equally and nothing is kept for personal gain. Hutterites do not have personal bank account; rather all earnings are held communally and funding and necessities are distributed according to one’s needs.
I found the family history and the glimpse into life in a Hutterite colony fascinating. Once the family left the colony to live on their own in Canadian society, I was less interested. While Kirkby talked about the difficulties the family faced in assimilating into mainstream culture, the story felt rushed and she moved swiftly through her teenage years, only offering quick anecdotes.
In contrast, the earlier part of the book was deeper and richer. I felt like Kirkby truly cared about her family and all of the members of the colony. She brought the colony and its members to life, describing personalities and meals and chores and the daily rhythm of the colony.
I disagree with the statement that this is “the fascinating true story of a young woman’s journey to reclaim her heritage.” We do not actively see Kirkby renouncing her heritage; she is part of a family that leaves the Hutterite community. If she hid her heritage, it is not discussed in any depth in the book. I think the book is more a documentation of her family history, in which she gained a better understanding of her roots. It’s still interesting, but it’s less about her than a way of life.
This is the first I’ve heard of this one, and it sounds pretty interesting; Thanks Jill!
Have a good week.
I had a friend in college whose family were mennonites (not Amish though!) so books about the culture interest me. I’ve never heard of Hutterites…I wonder how similar they are.
Glad to hear that you found something of interest here! I also found the Hutterite info fascinating, especially since we used to see the Hutterite girls in town wandering around in large groups. I probably found the parts about her life after they left the colony more interesting as it was all in the places I knew from growing up as well. But I agree that it is mostly about her family history, and that’s the most enthralling part.
I have never heard of the Hutterites before, but I do think I would find this book incredibly interesting. Though this book is not exactly as described, I am still glad you enjoyed it.
zibilee´s last [type] ..My Name is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira — 384 pgs
I’ve heard quite a bit about this and will probably take a look at the book — but I really don’t like when books tend to skip over very critical periods in a person’s life. I end up thinking that maybe I skipped over it, I end up flipping back through the pages to re-read a section or two, and then I just get stumped, wondering why the author would leave out such critical pieces!
Natalie @ Coffee and a Book Chick´s last [type] ..People of the Book- by Geraldine Brooks
This sounds interesting to me too. I’d never heard of the Hutterites until I saw someone else review this book.
I’ve never heard of Hutterites, much less read anything about them so this book looks very interesting to me, even if it wasn’t quite what you expected.
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I love books that describe the daily minutia of a culture. I think I would really like that part of this book.
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I would be more interested in a book focusing solely on life in a Hutterite community, especially since it’s the first I’ve heard of them.
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I thought that you might find my hutterite photos interesting. As the book is very outdated to modern hutterite life. I think what i am capturing would give you a better glimps at our life as a hutterite… http://www.flickr.com/photos/kellyhofer/
kelly´s last [type] ..Underwater fun
Wow I know absolutely nothing about this subject so I think this would be a good one for me to check out!
Amused´s last [type] ..Olive Oil and Water
It was also for me the first time I had heard of this sect. Interesting reading.
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Me, neither (never heard of this sect.) I think I’ll pass.
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I’m fascinated by all kinds of religious history and different sects…..this one looks interesting although I wish it was more about the sect and not as much about trying to assimilate into mainstream society. I’ll have to check it out, though.
Michele@ A Reader’s Respite´s last [type] ..Dirty Historical Fiction
I haven’t thought about the Hutterites since I was grad student (all those many years ago
). This sounds very interestings.
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