Helping us not to forget
After getting a coffee I sat down to read The Winter We Danced. On the table next to me I noticed a book someone left behind. On the cover was a bold notice stating “2.5 million copies sold.” The book was a contemporary work of fiction re-telling the conquest narrative of America expanding into the…
Suffering under the Soviets
Village houses face the main street with barns attached behind and fields beyond that. Young people gather for “singings.” A bone setter relieves headaches by carefully manipulating the neck. These are all aspects of Mennonite life in Russia as presented by Janice L. Dick in her new novel, Other Side of the River. They resonate…
Books show Old Order Mennonite culture from the inside
Amsey Martin, an Old Order Mennonite deacon and long-time parochial school teacher, loves books. While most people in his community are farmers, he says that sitting in his study surrounded by books is “a dream come true.” The idea of making a book has also appealed to him, and when a writer from his Old…
Steiner pushed open doors for other women
Sue Clemmer Steiner’s recent publication crosses genres within autobiography. It is personal memoir and spiritual recollection. It is reflections on a life in pastoral ministry. It is a historical snapshot of a 1950s eastern Pennsylvania traditional Mennonite community and a Mennonite girl facing the social upheaval of the 1960s. Steiner offers poetry and evocative images.…
Fall 2011 Listing of Books & Resources
Theology, spirituality 1,2,3 John, Believers Church Bible Commentary. J. E. McDermond. Herald Press, 2011, 344 pages. This is the 24th volume of the Believers Church Bible Commentary series. Ecclesial Repentance: The Churches Confront Their Sinful Pasts. Jeremy M. Bergen. T&T Clark International, New York, N.Y., 2011, 338 pages. Bergen explores public apologies made by churches…
The Bible and the billionaire
Billionaire media titan Rupert Murdoch has made headlines over the phone-hacking scandal that forced him to shut down his British tabloid, News of the World. But few people know that News Corp, the company Murdoch heads, also owns Zondervan, the world’s leading Bible publisher. News Corp, which took in $32.7 billion last year, also owns…
Capitalism under an imperialistic logic
Todd Gordon’s Imperialist Canada is not theology, nor is it written for or about the church. And while Mennonites are nowhere mentioned within its pages, the content of this book should be of great interest to Canadian Mennonites. This work is an attempt to demonstrate that Canada operates under an imperialist logic and practice. Popular…
A new publishing day
From today’s news: Book sales in the U.S. are down 9 percent. Amazon reported that sales of e-books exceeded paper copies in the previous 12 months. Apple exceeded all expectations by selling more than nine million tablets. Smart phones will soon outsell PCs. It’s a daunting, challenging and scary time to be in the media…
