Latest read: I Am Hutterite by Mary-Ann Kirkby

About a month ago, I received this book from Thomas-Nelson. If you've stopped by here much, you may have noticed a trend of books (both fiction and non-fiction) that are about other cultures in some way or another, and this one fit right in. (Maybe I should have gone into anthropology or something.) I had never heard of the Hutterites before and was immediately curious. While this book was primarily the story of one woman and her family and their experiences, it did give an insider's view into the culture of the Hutterites. (I would be interested to read other books on this topic now and learn more about them from others' perspectives as well, as each person has a unique perspective.)

The Hutterites are a group of people who came from many parts of Europe and the former Soviet Union and lived together in colonies, primarily in Canada. Their basic concept of living and sharing all things with one another came from Acts 2:44-45 "And all that believed were together, and had all things in common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need." Their faith and way of life began in Moravia in 1528 with an Austrian hatmaker name Jacob Hutter, who was leading a small group of Anabaptists.Presently, they live together in groups where the work and activities (such as cooking, farming, etc.) are all shared, as are the proceeds.

This was a fascinating autobiography and a good summer read. If you'd like to learn more, you can follow the link above (to Amazon) and this link to the book's website. But you can also read a lot more about it on facebook.

I would love to pass this along to someone else and share the rich new insights into a way of life that is very different from the one most of us know. If you would like to read Mary-Ann's story, leave a comment on this post and I will draw a name around August 16th for a winner.