Author of the improbable bestseller Mennonite in a Little Black Dress, Janzen continues her quirky tales of finding faith in unlikely places in this dotty, squeaky-clean postdivorce sequel in which she describes life with a new boyfriend and the courage to battle breast cancer. Having fallen out of her conservative Mennonite community in California—“abgefallen” is how she is referred by her church folk—now an English professor in Holland, Mich., Janzen meets and falls for a Pentecostal born-again “Jesus-nail-necklace-wearing manly man” shortly before she is diagnosed with massive, inoperable breast cancer. With Mitch standing firmly by her, along with her resilient mom and sister, Janzen was determined to face her condition with optimism, and in startlingly breezy prose, considering the gravity of her condition, pokes fun at her professorial distractedness in contrast to Mitch’s literal groundedness. She plunges into activities at his Pentecostal church, as wildly improvisational and “kooky” as her Mennonite church had been sober and dignified, with enthusiasm, embracing their particular rituals of healing and even tithing. However, underneath her limpid facetiousness (one inspired simile compares Mitch’s gloomy aged father’s boredom to “a stretch of wet cement that he protected with cones and tape”) run serious concerns about her faith, spiritual growth, and the meaning of prayer and humility. “I had unfinished business with God,” Janzen writes, sharing in this vibrant, charming narrative her own “fruits of the spirit.” (Oct.)
Praise for Does This Church Make Me Look Fat?: People (Three Stars) Booklist Does This Church Make Me Look Fat ] would fit naturally on a shelf, say, next to your collection of beat-up Anne Lamott paperbacks. It has that same sort of accessibility to it; that same sort of acceptance."—Charity Vogel, The Buffalo News Shirley Hershey Showalter, Christian Century Susanne Jaffe, The Columbus Dispatch Colette Bancroft, Tampa Bay Times Hannah Sampson, The Miami Herald Great Day Houston Publishers Weekly Does This Church Make Me Look Fat? made me laugh out loud, often enough to make my beloved children inquire as to whether I was losing my mind. Too much spiritual writing these days claims that religious practice is about healing or developing the self. But Rhoda Janzen avoids this theme: here she sets out on a path to become more loving, grateful, and helpful to others . This is particularly impressive given that she's writing about a period in her life when she's got a scary, life-threatening illness, and a brand-new family. Bravo, Rhoda-or rather, 'Thank God!'"—Kate Braestrup, author of Here if You Need Me and Beginner's Grace Barbara Brown Taylor, author of An Altar in the World and Leaving Church Great Day Houston AJ Jacobs, author of The Year of Living Biblically Mennonite in a Little Black Dress :Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love Kate Christensen, The New York Times Book Review People (four stars) Entertainment Weekly
"A hilarious collection of musings on Janzen's childhood, marriage, and eccentric family... Janzen mines Mennonite culture for comic effect, but she does so with love."
"Hilarious and touching."
"I loved this book, and Rhoda Janzen. She is a terrific, pithy, beautiful writer, a reliable, sympathetic narrator and a fantastically good sport."
Praise for Mennonite in a Little Black Dress :
"It is rare that I literally laugh out loud while reading, but Rhoda Janzen's voice--singular, deadpan, sharp-witted and honest--slayed me."
"Paul Shaffer, the noted theologian/TV sidekick, once said that if God is the ultimate being, he must have the ultimate sense of humor. To which I add, Rhoda Janzen is not far behind. This is one funny book. Not to mention thought-provoking and touching."
"A very funny writer. . . . A heartfelt memoir that is both hilarious and inspiring."
"Rhoda Janzen is one of the few people I trust to write about faith without using God to clobber me. She writes about the most serious things in the world-life, death, family, love-with such spot-on honesty, spiritual humility, and disarming humor that I would follow her anywhere. The nicest thing I can say about her new book is that it made me want to be a better person. It is that good."
"Does This Church Make Me Look Fat? made me laugh out loud, often enough to make my beloved children inquire as to whether I was losing my mind. Too much spiritual writing these days claims that religious practice is about healing or developing the self. But Rhoda Janzen avoids this theme: here she sets out on a path to become more loving, grateful, and helpful to others . This is particularly impressive given that she's writing about a period in her life when she's got a scary, life-threatening illness, and a brand-new family. Bravo, Rhoda-or rather, 'Thank God!'"
"A delight for fans of [Janzen's] warm, wisecracking style.... Her enthusiasm and spirit and knack for finding humor in the God details make this book a crowd-pleaser."
"Amazingly light-hearted... [Janzen] is not so much proselytizing for her particular religion as she is pointing toward the value of examining one's own beliefs, whatever they might be, and finding a way to live with them in joy."
"Smart and witty.... Janzen has a remarkable ability to demystify religion through humor and humanity."
"Given the gravity of the subjects-cancer and religious conversion-Janzen gave herself an enormous challenge. Could she maintain her hallmark comic voice in the midst of suffering and transformation? The answer is yes, and that is no small accomplishment... The excitement of discovery is palpable in this book."
Shirley Hershey Showalter
"Janzen is the kind of writer-world-weary yet incredulous; girlfriend-esque and conversational-that draws you along through a story with ease...[Does This Church Make Me Look Fat ] would fit naturally on a shelf, say, next to your collection of beat-up Anne Lamott paperbacks. It has that same sort of accessibility to it; that same sort of acceptance."
"A hilarious account of the small details that make a life. . . Readers from all backgrounds will be inspired by Janzen's tale of love and faith told with her trademark wit and honesty."
Praise for Does This Church Make Me Look Fat?:
"Breezy despite the weighty subject matter... Janzen's wit and love of fashion keep things light, but her conversion to Pentecostalism after a miraculous return to health sends the book into serious seekers' territory."
Hilarious and touching.
Hilarious and touching.
Mennonite in a Little Black Dress, Janzen's pointedly funny memoir of returning home at low ebb to her cheerily faithful family, dwelled on the New York Times best sellers list for more than 40 weeks, sometimes in the top spot. Her new memoir charts her growing comfort with faith, though she goes for the hallelujah-swaying Pentecostals, and eventually meets the right guy. If this is anything like her last memoir, hang on; with a multicity tour and reading group guide.
Continuing her search for spiritual relevance in everyday life, Janzen (Mennonite in a Little Black Dress , 2009) recounts the travails and joys encountered while finding love, embracing her new beau's religion, and surviving breast cancer. Newly single, the author stepped into the dating world and ended up with an unlikely Mr. Wonderful. A huge, goateed rocker with a permit to carry a concealed weapon, he was a reformed alcoholic with a light Southern accent who uttered pronouncements like, "Well, I'll be double-dipped!" Janzen was mesmerized, she repeatedly informs the reader, by his giant pectorals and his Pentecostal church. "He loved the pastor, the people, the worship," she writes. "He loved the teaching, the service programs, the bake sales. It was clear to me that this church was an expression of his core values. If I was to keep dating him, I would need to see what it was all about." The author also covers a lot of other territory in her memoir--life as an English teacher; her breast cancer; the vast differences between Pentecostals and Mennonites, the religion she grew up with; her family relationships; her hot new romance; and her new relationship with God--and her peppy enthusiasm almost bounds off the page. Some readers, however, may grow tired of the author's continuously emphatic tone or her constant attempts to appear slightly naughty by divulging topics good girls would not discuss. Also, she makes entirely too much use of the exclamation point--e.g., "If Lazarus was peacefully rotting there in the tomb and if at the sound of Jesus's voice, he up and trotted out--well, miraculous! He left death and disease behind, yay! Stank hath no hold on him!" A welcome second installment for readers who enjoyed Janzen's first memoir. Others may want to turn elsewhere.
If you have ever wondered what happened to Rhoda Janzen, the bestselling author of Mennonite in a Little Black Dress, this eventful memoir brings you up to date. Does This Church Make Me Look Fat? describes the "weirdness" of her mercifully brief battle with breast cancer, but devotes most of its pages to her new relationships with a huge, intense rocker; the Pentecostal church; and her new stepchild. Elizabeth Gilbert called Janzen's debut as "singular, deadpan, sharp-witted and honest," not a bad description either for this follow-up.
