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kanejim57's review
4.0
"The stories we surround ourselves with can either move us forward or hold us back... We erase not our history, but its power to harm us...Faith is the hope that our work will have meaning, that someday our troubled rooms will be transformed." page 141
Rhoda Janzen picks up her story of departure from and return to her Mennonite roots in Mennonite in a Black Dress, a number one New York Times bestseller with a new work, Does This Church Make Me Look Fat? (To be published by Grand Central Publishing on October 1, 2012)
In Does this Church Janzen tells the rest of her story that unfolds in her earlier work: that having lost her husband to a boyfriend from a gay website and having sustained serious injuries in a car accident she returns to her parents home and comes face to face with her Mennonite roots and the larger issue of faith.
Without giving away details Janzen, with her delightful humor, wit, and sarcasm, that disappears as she comes to grips with the issue of faith and all the barriers to faith she had erected over the years , puts her life back together as she meets a man who is the opposite of so much she believes in, a step-son and a father-in-law that she inhabits a house with and many of the political hot buttons pushed along the way.
And while it was Janzen's first book that interested me in this book, I recommend getting this book because of the simply honest way that Janzen describes her journey into a faith that is her own faith and not her childhood faith nor her parents faith. Her story and journey is the story and journey of many adults today.
And though many readers many not agree with the path than Janzen has taken, I do believe they will recognize that adulthood requires us to make adult decisions and sometimes those decisions take a while to fully make - whether it is matters related to faith or becoming one's own person- and re-make as well.
I rate this book a "great" read.
NOTE: The review copy of this book was a Net Galley copy via Net Galley from the publisher. A positive review was not required.
liann24's review against another edition
5.0
Hilarious, lovable, intellectual and mystical. Best book I've read this year.
kanejim57's review against another edition
4.0
"The stories we surround ourselves with can either move us forward or hold us back... We erase not our history, but its power to harm us...Faith is the hope that our work will have meaning, that someday our troubled rooms will be transformed." page 141
Rhoda Janzen picks up her story of departure from and return to her Mennonite roots in Mennonite in a Black Dress, a number one New York Times bestseller with a new work, Does This Church Make Me Look Fat? (To be published by Grand Central Publishing on October 1, 2012)
In Does this Church Janzen tells the rest of her story that unfolds in her earlier work: that having lost her husband to a boyfriend from a gay website and having sustained serious injuries in a car accident she returns to her parents home and comes face to face with her Mennonite roots and the larger issue of faith.
Without giving away details Janzen, with her delightful humor, wit, and sarcasm, that disappears as she comes to grips with the issue of faith and all the barriers to faith she had erected over the years , puts her life back together as she meets a man who is the opposite of so much she believes in, a step-son and a father-in-law that she inhabits a house with and many of the political hot buttons pushed along the way.
And while it was Janzen's first book that interested me in this book, I recommend getting this book because of the simply honest way that Janzen describes her journey into a faith that is her own faith and not her childhood faith nor her parents faith. Her story and journey is the story and journey of many adults today.
And though many readers many not agree with the path than Janzen has taken, I do believe they will recognize that adulthood requires us to make adult decisions and sometimes those decisions take a while to fully make - whether it is matters related to faith or becoming one's own person- and re-make as well.
I rate this book a "great" read.
NOTE: The review copy of this book was a Net Galley copy via Net Galley from the publisher. A positive review was not required.
lisanussd's review against another edition
3.0
"Ditto." I think I felt the same way that many other reviewers felt.
High points: shopping at consignment stores & using shampoo that smelled like diapers, vocabulary, stories and the amazing fact that Janzen was able to find love with someone so different than her
Low points: the "perkiness" that replaced the skeptic which made the book lose it's realness
High points: shopping at consignment stores & using shampoo that smelled like diapers, vocabulary, stories and the amazing fact that Janzen was able to find love with someone so different than her
Low points: the "perkiness" that replaced the skeptic which made the book lose it's realness
gilmoreguide's review against another edition
3.0
I missed Rhoda Janzen’s first book, Mennonite in a Little Black Dress, so jumping into her newest book, Does This Church Make Look Fat?, was a bit like going to a new high school your sophomore year. Yes, they speak the language but you don’t know any of the backstory or the cliques. Also, I’ll admit it. I wanted to read the book because the title made me laugh out loud. If you read her first book, you’re a little ahead of the game but even if not, Janzen has enough going on in this one and is kind enough to sprinkle references to book one throughout, that you’ll be just fine. In fact, Does This Church, is so front loaded with action, you’ll be at page 100 before you can draw a breath.
Janzen is a Mennonite by birth and upbringing, but like many with an intellectual bent, eventually found the lack of answers to her questions to be problematic. Her love of reading and diagramming sentences led her to a PhD and a career as an English professor and intermittent church attendance with the Episcopals. That’s where this story begins. Within the first three chapters Janzen, coming out of a divorce from a fifteen year marriage, is dating a behemoth named Mitch, who despite a misspent youth is now a fervent Pentecostalist. Janzen approaches this with an academic’s curiosity and open mind, largely drawn in by his caring nature and protective personality. However, after only a month of dating she is informed that she has a large, inoperable tumor in her breast and that the cancer has spread to her lymph nodes.
You can read the rest of this review at The Gilmore Guide to Books: http://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2012/10/does-this-church-make-me-look-fat/
Janzen is a Mennonite by birth and upbringing, but like many with an intellectual bent, eventually found the lack of answers to her questions to be problematic. Her love of reading and diagramming sentences led her to a PhD and a career as an English professor and intermittent church attendance with the Episcopals. That’s where this story begins. Within the first three chapters Janzen, coming out of a divorce from a fifteen year marriage, is dating a behemoth named Mitch, who despite a misspent youth is now a fervent Pentecostalist. Janzen approaches this with an academic’s curiosity and open mind, largely drawn in by his caring nature and protective personality. However, after only a month of dating she is informed that she has a large, inoperable tumor in her breast and that the cancer has spread to her lymph nodes.
You can read the rest of this review at The Gilmore Guide to Books: http://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2012/10/does-this-church-make-me-look-fat/
rebeccalm's review against another edition
3.0
What a cute and easy read. The author does a nice job of taking the reader along on her life journey and giving you a front row view of her struggles and her praises. This is a super easy read and some moments are truly laugh out loud funny.
brendaclay's review against another edition
4.0
I haven't read Janzen's first memoir, Mennonite in a Little Black Dress, but I still tracked with this second installment. It's exactly what the title indicates. Practical and intellectual by nurture and trade (she's a professor), Janzen finds herself dating a Pentecostal man's man and falling in love both with him and his church community. Their support becomes even more important when she finds out she has breast cancer. This is a weird thing to say, but I feel like she strikes the perfect attitude about having cancer - positive yet realistic. Overall I related to and was inspired by her guarded openness and willingness to experience new things.
melissakuzma's review against another edition
3.0
I LOVED Mennonite in a Little Black Dress so I was super-excited for this (thanks, ML, for picking up an advanced copy for me at BEA). Unfortunately I didn't like it nearly as much as Mennonite. There were a few laugh out loud moments but for the most part it was way to religion-y for me. I actually enjoyed the chapter on tithing, but all of the "god told me to" this and that was a little too much for me.
fgaon's review against another edition
3.0
Overall, I liked the book. Not as much as her first. Janzen can be really funny, she is also super smart. Interesting to see how she found both her way back to religion and a new soul mate. I wonder if faced with the same circumstances I could maintain such a positive attitude. I would like to believe, yes..... Some people might find the book too preachy and too much Jesus. The book is also a bit disjointed and the chapters are like a compilation of short stories. Still, it was a quick read and didn't require too much effort.
julibug86's review against another edition
2.0
Very different from her first memoir. Less funny, more Jesus. It was unexpected and even though I love Jesus, I want in the mood for this book.