Thursday 8 January 2015

Hutterite Diaries: Wisdom From My Prairie Community (cover reveal)

It's a cold and blustery day here in Manitoba; the storm I've been wishing for has arrived. I know most people don't like blizzards, but I do... that is, as long as I'm not on the road. In any case, this post is not about our oft unpredictable prairie weather. But rather...

I'm excited to ring in 2015 with a cover reveal for my upcoming book, Hutterite Diaries: Wisdom From My Prairie Community. As you know, I've mentioned this a few times right here, but not in great detail. This book has been in the works for many months, and I've learned so much, not only about writing, but the publishing process as well. Working on this project with Valerie Weaver-Zercher, my Herald Press editor, has been an incredibly enjoyable and enriching journey; and still is.

It's basically a collection of stories I've written over the years - some have appeared as newspaper articles, others as blog posts and there are some that have never been published anywhere before.

 Here's the Publishers Blurb: 
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 bringing 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.

Because few outsiders know anything about the Hutterites, a Plain Christian group related to the Amish and Mennonites, this book offers a rare-glimpse into Hutterite life.

Hutterite Diaries will not be released till May. However if you so wish, you may order it now, for a special pre-order price. It's available on Amazon and on the Herald Press website.

I'm curious, have you read any book(s) on Hutterites? If so, which one(s)? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

10 comments:

  1. I'm already curious about this "sisterly love... revenge" ???

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm looking forward to it, Linda!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks, Kathy! I'm looking forward to hearing your response after you've read it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I heard this was coming. Congratulations! I'm sure it will be very interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks, Monica! I certainly hope people find it interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I will be very interested in reading this.....A long time ago - perhaps the 80s - I read John Hostetler's book about Hutterites. But it might be a little outdated (not about the history, I think) by now. I'm happy to hear about your book.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks, Kristi!
    You may also find 'Pacifists in Chains' by Duane C.S. Stolzfus interesting. I did a review of it. Just do a search right at the top of this page, using the title or author's name.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks for letting me know! I am looking forward to reading it. And, like Elma, I immediately wondered about the sisterly love and revenge... I wonder if the sisters will be named...
    :)
    Such an accomplishment. Congratulations. I will be sure to pass along the information about the book.

    Yolanda
    Oakville, MB

    ReplyDelete
  9. I appreciate this, Yolanda! Well, you'll both have wait and see...at least another few months.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by my blog and for sharing your thoughts!!