I Am Hutterite

I admit that I am curious about certain small religious communities, such as the Amish, so when I Am Hutterite, by Mary-Ann Kirkby became available for review, I was excited. She starts her book by giving us glimpses into one of many Hutterite colonies in Canada. She provides some historical information about the religion as well as her family's background. We are given peeks into certain aspects of a Hutterite day and special occasions in the colony. She writes of increasing tension between the colony leader and her family which leads to her parents leaving the colony with their seven children. From there, the book explores how the author and her family adjusted to this new world.

I was very interested in learning about how the people worked together in the colony. I also think their philosophy of education is interesting, mostly in the early years. Kirkby showed many of the advantages of living in such a community as well as the disadvantages and the reader is easily able to understand why her parents made the decision they did. My biggest negative criticism of the book is that I feel it could be better organized. She skips around a lot through the calendar year and also through the years of her family's history. As a reader, I would have appreciated a more chronological writing style. Overall, I do recommend this book because I believe it gives an accurate and balanced view into the Hutterite community.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”