I am Hutterite

This was a wonderfully rich read, with lots of honest gritty details about the author's childhood living in a Hutterite colony ~replete with descriptions of the food, the constant companionship of the fellow Hutterite families, (most of which were large, with 7 kids each), the banter and teasing, the unique clothing and the prayer meetings and leadership. Kirkby describes a happy childhood, where there is always an abundance of food and an abundance of things to do. There are many chores and the life is very structured, but she felt security therein and did not want to leave. When she is 10, her parents decide to leave the colony and strike out on their own.

Although Kirkby's transition to 'English' life is hard, she tells the story show more with grace. Kirkby does not pass over some of the rigid teachings however; she does not gloss over the harsh, power-hungry uncle's leadership and its terrible consequences. And the tragedies that befall them and other families.

I enjoyed learning about her experience and recommend this book to anyone who is interested in firsthand accounts of people living in alternative communities. show less

A poignant memoir of one family’s place within the religious community of the Hutterites in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the story of leaving that closed community and trying to assimilate outside the community.

The Hutterites are an Anabaptist Christian group who live communally, sharing possessions, labor, and daily life. Kirkby spent the first ten years of her life in this tightly structured society before her parents made the difficult decision to leave the colony and enter mainstream society. Once outside the community, life was very difficult and most of the family would have preferred to return. However, the pride of her father makes the return not possible.

This book was both specific to the Hutterite community and universal in show more telling the story about family, faith, and identity.

While I greatly enjoyed this book, its story reminded me of experiences that many people have had growing up in close religious communities—including my own. I was raised in a very strong Quaker community that, in many ways, resembled the Hutterite world described in the book, though without the communal living. We shared many of the same beliefs, practices, and ways of thinking, and it provided a wonderful childhood.

Like Mary-Ann in the memoir, my life changed when my family moved about thirty miles away because of my father’s new job. I struggled with that transition and did not care for my “new” life. In many ways, I experienced the same emotions and adjustments that Ann-Marie describes in the book. I did not fully feel settled again until I went away to college several years later. Looking back, however, I can say that growing up in that close-knit community was a truly great early childhood.

The only “problem” I had with this book is that it often grouped all religious communities together, such as the Mennonites, Amish, etc. My experience has been that notion is very far from reality, even generally. 274 pages show less

In I Am Hutterite, author Mary-Ann Kirkby reflects on a happy childhood in a Hutterite colony, the pain of leaving the communal life just before her 10th birthday, and her journey of fitting into the English world, a bitter-sweet process since her family did not sever its social ties with their former community when they moved away. Kirkby's insider's view depicts a community where everyone is valued and contributes to community life. Although families live in family units, children are nurtured by the whole community, and all adults are called "aunt" and "uncle" whether related or not. Children have work to do, but there is also time for school and play. Community support allows families to care for aging parents at home.

While colony show more life provides security, Kirkby's memoir shows that it doesn't always provide peace. Kirkby's parents made the difficult decision to leave their colony after years of discord between Kirkby's father and the colony's leader, who was also her mother's brother. Kirkby shows great sensitivity in writing of the breach between her parents and her uncle. She describes her uncle's flawed leadership style without bitterness or vindictiveness. By the end of the book I had developed a great respect for Kirkby's parents and their sincere faith.

Kirkby's stories about some of her failed attempts to fit into the English world are humorous, but must have been painful for her at the time. Her challenges included packing a school lunch that looked like other students' lunches and figuring out just who or what this Walt Disney was that the other children talked about every Monday.

The author's descriptions of food, particularly fresh produce and berries, made my mouth water. I'm glad I read this during the summer so I can satisfy these cravings! Only one recipe is included in the book. Many readers will want more. I think a follow-up recipe book would be a great idea.

Readers who like the currently popular Amish fiction will probably like this book even though there are many differences between Hutterite and Amish communities. Readers interested in living and eating locally might also enjoy the book. Although the book is published by a Christian publishing company, the focus of the book is on lifestyle rather than theology and should have a wider appeal. Highly recommended. show less

One of the last research papers I wrote for my undergraduate degree was on the Hutterites (got an A and great comments), so I very much enjoyed this selection from my SantaThingElf.

Kirkby's story rings true. Her description of her childhood makes one want to join an Hutterite colony. Her description of the heart aches experienced by her parents makes one wonder how they stayed in the colony so long.

Kirkby begins her story with the story of her grandparents (both sets) and the hardships they endured. She could have easily have written a story that was more bitter than sweet, and I don't think anyone would have complained. Instead she shows that other cultures have reason behind action and that well-lived lives can be happy--sometimes show more even happier--lived in an entirely different way than the majority culture deems possible.

Throughout the second phase of the book, the theme is forgiveness. It is hard to forgive. It is sometimes even hard to believe it is possible. But for those who have been "tresspassed against," the true healing only comes through forgiveness.

Many-Ann Dornn Kirby seems to have found a path for her own life to become integrated, which is perhaps another way of expressing forgiveness. Forgiving others and forgiving ourselves. show less

This was an informative read about life in a Hutterite colony. I was a little frustrated though, by the mis-alignment of the subtitle -- A young woman's journey to reclaim her heritage -- and the book itself. Well over half the book deals with the author's early life in the colony. After her parents "run away" from that life, the book talks about the author's challenges with fitting into English society. There is very little about losing/reclaiming her heritage, which I think would have been most interesting. Still worth reading with the proper expectations.

I am a Canadian prairie girl, and I had to read this book for that reason alone. I also wanted to learn a little about a sect that is common in my area, but one where there is not much knowledge. The nature of the group is that they stay separate fro the mainstream and live communally. I learned a lot about this fascinating religion and I learned a lot about the lifestyle that these people live and have lived for 5 centuries. Hutterites originated in Austria in the 1500's. A lot of them emigrated to Canada in the late 19 and early 20 century, and set up numerous colonies throughout our prairie region. They are hardworking, religious people with a great sense of humour and that came out in this book. I found it fascinating to hear what show more it was like growing up in a Hutterite colony like this author did. She depicts this time of her life with warm remembrances, and even though her family moved away from the colony when she was ten, she never forgot her roots. This is an honest and direct account of what to most of us is a closed world. Mary-Ann Kirkby's book was a wonderful insight into this world and into the adjustments that she had to made out in the "English" world when her family moved away. show less

This is book is very special to me. I love what Mary-Ann Kirby says in this book '...for it is only when we embrace our past that we can find true fulfillment in our future' (p.228). Her statement spells out the reason for my own search for my family's beginnings.

Mary Ann was invited by a friend to write a magazine article about Hutterite gardens. But it turned into a journey into past starting with her Hutterite beginnings. Her family lived in a Hutterite colony in southern Manitoba, Canada. Hutterites were one of three groups that sprang from the Anabaptists: the Amish, Hutterites and Mennonites. I enjoyed her journey, sometimes troubled, sometimes joyful so much. She lived the Hutterite life but by reflection, she learned so much. show more It is my hope to trace my Mennonites ancestors and learn their way of life so I can better understand my ancestors and myself.

The core difference between the two other groups and the Hutterites was the belief in no personal possessions, that started with its Austrian founder, Jacob Hutterite and is still followed in the Hutterite colonies today in Canada and United States. Strangely, this principal of no personal possessions led to why her family in their good conscience had to decide whether or not to leave. Not because of a desire to obtain and keep things but because of importance of human life.

There is so much to learn from this book, the true meaning of freedom, the traditions of clothing, cleanliness, humor, drinking, singing, and the expressions. A unmarried woman is spoken of as 'a jar that hadn't yet found its lid' (p. 37) The tradition of giving a daughter at the age of 15,a wooden hope chest (my father did this too). The special treatment that a woman who has just born a baby receives. I could go on but I would spoil the book for you.

This book captures you at the beginning and won't let you go. I will keep it on my bookshelf for reference in the future and I hope to re-read it. It is beautifully written and from some accounts of family past come big treasures of meaning.

I invite everyone interested in the past, in their own ancestry, in religion, in ways of life to read and enjoy this book. show less