Hutterite Diaries by Linda Maendel

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Hutterite Diaries: Wisdom from My Prairie Community(MennoMedia, May 2015)

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 bring 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.

Few outsiders know anything about the Hutterites, a Plain Christian group related to the Amish and Mennonites. Maendel’s story invites readers into deeper understanding of this community of faith, calling us to take seriously the example of Jesus and the early church in our daily living.

My opinion: This was a rare and delightful glimpse into the very unique world of the Hutterite's. A lot of people know very little about the Hutterite communities, I knew a bit more because my sister had a pen-pal that was Hutterite but I still had a lot to learn.  I really enjoyed the quaint lifestyle that Ms. Maendel and it was a deliciously easy read, taking one to a different world that seems like something from the past. I highly enjoyed her stories of working together and daily life in the community. I received a copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion.