It seems to me like there’s an amazing crop of Mennonite literature coming this fall. Some heavy hitters for sure. I’m certain there are others that I’m not aware of, but this is a good place to start with your fall 2021 Menno reading list. Look for these at your local independent book store in the coming weeks and months! Which book are you most looking forward to?
(Alphabetical order by author’s last name. Descriptions abridged from publisher’s websites.)
Out of Mind – David Bergen (Goose Lane Editions) – Fiction – “In Out of Mind, David Bergen delves into the psyche of Lucille Black, mother, grandmother, lover, psychiatrist, and analyst of self, who first appeared in Bergen’s bestselling novel The Matter with Morris. Although adept at probing the lives of others, Lucille has become untethered, caught between duty and desire, between the demands of family and her own longing…”
Menno-Nightcaps – S.L. Klassen (Touchwood Editions) – Cocktail recipe book – “At last, you think, a book of cocktails that pairs punny drinks with Mennonite history! Yes, cocktail enthusiast and author of the popular Drunken Mennonite blog Sherri Klassen is here to bring some Low German love to your bar cart. Drinks like Brandy Anabaptist, Migratarita, Thrift Store Sour, and Pimm’s Cape Dress are served up with arcane trivia on Mennonite history, faith, and cultural practices…”
A Dream of a Woman – Casey Plett (Arsenal Pulp Press) – Short stories– “Centering transgender women seeking stable, adult lives, A Dream of a Woman finds quiet truths in prairie high-rises and New York warehouses, in freezing Canadian winters and drizzly Oregon days. An ethereal meditation on partnership, sex, addiction, romance, groundedness, and love, the stories in A Dream of a Woman buzz with quiet intensity and the intimate complexities of being human…” …
Fight Night – Miriam Toews (Knopf Canada) – Fiction – “Fight Night is told in the unforgettable voice of Swiv, a nine-year-old living in Toronto with her pregnant mother, who is raising Swiv while caring for her own elderly, frail, yet extraordinarily lively mother. When Swiv is expelled from school, Grandma takes on the role of teacher and gives her the task of writing to Swiv’s absent father about life in the household during the last trimester of the pregnancy. In turn, Swiv gives Grandma an assignment: to write a letter to “Gord,” her unborn grandchild (and Swiv’s soon-to-be brother or sister). “You’re a small thing,” Grandma writes to Gord, “and you must learn to fight.”” …
Best of the Bonnet – Andrew Unger (Turnstone Press) – Humour/Satire – “Turnstone Press is pleased to announce that Andrew Unger’s next project, a selected of articles from his popular Daily Bonnet website will be hitting shelves in fall of 2021. Since its debut in 2016, the internet’s most trusted source for Mennonite satire has kept readers laughing with hundreds of hilarious headlines and tongue-in-cheek editorials where (almost) no topic is off limits. Best of the Bonnet brings together some of The Daily Bonnet’s funniest, most loved posts, that have drawn the attention of everyone from the Canadian Prairies to the high-rises of New York.” …