Linda MaendelCritiques

When we lived in Montana, we lived not far from two or three Hutterite communities. We often saw them on the sidewalks and in the stores in our little town, as well as in Great Falls. I was intrigued by their lifestyle.

I was happy to have a chance to read Hutterite Diaries, and learn a little bit about their community life. Especially fascinating to me was Linda's sharing of the history of Hutterian Brethren in Euroupe, as well as that of the Anabaptists. My own family ancestry traces back to Anabaptists, as well (so I have been told).

If you are interested in learning more about the communal life of the Hutterites, you will find this book fascinating.

A well-written and interesting collection of memories, which give an unprecedented look at the lives of Hutterites in Western Canada.

Living in Alberta, I have seen Hutterites, driven by the colonies, and even purchased food at Farmer's Markets, but I still didn't know anything about everyday life. Linda Maendel gave me a glimpse of ordinary daily life, customs, beliefs, celebrations and disasters. I very much appreciated reading this book.

A well-written and interesting collection of memories, which give an unprecedented look at the lives of Hutterites in Western Canada.

Living in Alberta, I have seen Hutterites, driven by the colonies, and even purchased food at Farmer's Markets, but I still didn't know anything about everyday life. Linda Maendel gave me a glimpse of ordinary daily life, customs, beliefs, celebrations and disasters. I very much appreciated reading this book.

A well-written and interesting collection of memories, which give an unprecedented look at the lives of Hutterites in Western Canada.

Living in Alberta, I have seen Hutterites, driven by the colonies, and even purchased food at Farmer's Markets, but I still didn't know anything about everyday life. Linda Maendel gave me a glimpse of ordinary daily life, customs, beliefs, celebrations and disasters. I very much appreciated reading this book.

“Creating word pictures is like collecting treasures; it makes me take a closer look at things. Via my blig and newspaper articles, I get to share my musings with people around the world.”

Hutterite Diaries is a slim volume of these very musings. Therein lies the problem with many slim volumes these days. The collections of blogs and articles of most bloggers and article writers aren’t always required reading. David Foster Wallace, Roxanne Gay, Woodward and Bernstein or Mitch Albom are a varied list of YES writers that come to mind. Linda Maendel would not probably make my “must be bound” list. She writes interesting blog entries and articles about Hutterites and if my eleven-year-old had to write a report on the subject I would hand her this book.

It is very factual. Hutterites are modern with equipment like tractors and trucks but not dress. The book is very informative with …information. But not much else. The author’s brothers died in a fire. The author finds out Hutterites were slaves in Cyprus until the 1800s. The author travels to other countries. All subjects seemingly surrounded with emotions and stories. Right? Wrong. At lest not for this version. The lack of feeling or personal observation and reflection were a missed opportunity to make this a true “diary”.

The author does tell the reader how many French fries the potato shed holds. But no spoilers here! Read it for general info and to know the difference between the Amish, for example. Otherwise stick to reading Maendel’s blog. It is very informative. http://www.hutterites.org/author/lindamaendel/

Provided by publisher

A must read for fans of the "plain lifestyle" and those interested in learning about Hutterite community. While not a cohesive memoir or story, it is still an engaging romp through memories and experiences. Hutterite author, Linda Maendel shares many stories about growing up in her community, values, and family living. Knowing next to nothing about this religion/culture, I thought it was definitely eye opening and not at all what I expected. I think I thought it would be closer to Amish living, but in fact it is quite different. Linda outlines many differences and misconceptions common folk have about their lifestyle as compared to the Amish. A quick, informative read, I was able to complete it within about two hours. I can see this being wildly popular at libraries.

I received this book for free from Litfuse Publicity in return for my honest, unbiased opinion.

This book is an enlightening in-depth look at the Hutterites, while there is a lot of books about the Amish, and some about the Mennonites not much is known about the Hutterites. These churches all come the Anabaptists and evolved in different directions. We also touch on where their faith was practiced and evolved out of. How they were persecuted for their beliefs and how they came to the US and Canada
The way the villages are set up made me think of the Amana Colonies, where they were separate, but together. The author told about their weddings, where the couple is married at the groom’s village, and how a parade comes out to meet the guest coming from the bride’s home.
The story the author presents is very enlightening and gives you a real look at this communal living, each family has their own home and some personal possessions, but the meals are taken together with men on one side of the room and woman on the other. There are lots of other interesting facts, including their clothing.
The author shares a lot of her own personal experiences, along with her family. Come along for a memorable read of a little know sect of Christians, the book is a fast page-turner.

I received this book through Litfuse Publicity Book Tours, and was not required to give a positive review.