I AM HUTTERITE

Canadian author Mary-Ann Kirkby narrates her own coming-of-age memoir, which recounts the benefits and drawbacks of growing up in a closed-off religious colony. While the author’s tone can be dry at times, the story is anything but as Kirkby portrays a teenager’s struggles with fitting in—in both the Hutterite communal world and the outside world of Manitoba. Kirkby is the perfect reader to deliver the words of her Hutterite family and neighbors as she remembers them, quoting them briefly in both their native German and accented English. Listeners will gain a greater understanding of the often-misunderstood Hutterites as well as reconnect with their own coming-of-age experiences. R.Z.R. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2011]