Hutterite Diaries

"Hutterite Diaries" by Linda Maendel is an interesting read on a community unknown to many. Often mistaken for Amish, Hutterites share many similarities with the former but have Anabaptist roots and a large part of their teachings are actually in German. Their community is located in Western Canada and is known for their farming.

"Hutterite Diaries" is somewhat of a memoir, written by a woman who has lived in a Hutterite community for her entire life. She shares humorous stories as well as some heartbreaking ones. Readers also learn about how their community works as far as cooking and working, and how the members all share their money and are allotted an "allowance" for the things they would like to buy. Linda also explains how her school and church services work. Hutterite members also have modern homes and vehicles and use modern technology, which is one thing that distinguishes them from the Amish.

This book is a little different from what I expected. Each chapter is like a different diary entry and can stand alone without the previous chapters. As I said earlier, there are some humorous entries written, but Linda has somewhat of a dry old-fashioned humor so the jokes might not be humorous to all readers. It was hard to relate to way of living, but it was an interesting read none the less. I rate this book as 4 stars.

I received this book for free from Litfuse in exchange for my honest unbiased opinion.