For what did I know?

Book #40: Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home

“In my opinion, sexiness comes down to three things: chemistry, sense of humor, and treatment of waitstaff at restaurants.”


I was very intrigued by the title of this book. I have always loved learning about different religions and cultures and I thought that this would give me insight and knowledge of the Mennonite faith. I really learned nothing.

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress is the story of how Janzen’s life fell apart. She had been happily married, or so she thought, for many years when all of a sudden her husband left her for a man he met on gay.com. Clearly, this came as quite a shock. Instead of pulling her life together, Janzen went home to her Mennonite parents, and that was pretty much it. The book was funny and well-written, I will give it that much, but it just didn’t pull me in.


The Mennonite idea is that people who privilege money and knowledge will think they have all the answers, and if they think they have all the answers, they won’t be interested in seeking God. I can’t speak for rich people, but in my experience higher education does not produce people who think they have all the answers…Higher education does just the opposite; it teaches us that we don’t have all the answers. Socrates summed it up very well: ‘I know only that I know nothing at all.’

— Rhoda Janzen - Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home