Giveaway: Anything But Simple

I often get emails asking questions about Mennonites. I love emails and enjoy interacting with readers. But there are some questions that frustrate me - those that ask how Mennonites do this or that or what they believe about a specific topic.

Worse is when the one asking is doing a research paper on Mennonites. I'm glad they looked for a primary source, but how can I give a correct answer for a diverse group? It would be like asking questions of one Muslim or one Native American, and expecting them to have the same opinion, practice, and belief as the rest of the group.

I can only answer for myself. And my answers are going to be influenced by my background, my experiences, my beliefs, my personality, and my specific setting.

But I do love that there are many that are interesting in learning more about Mennonites, and if that is you, then there is a new book I can recommend for you.



Lucinda J. Miller wrote Anything But Simple to share her life as a young woman growing up in a Mennonite community. I couldn't have written this book. Not only do I not have the writing talent and skill of Luci, but her experience in growing up in a small farming community in Wisconsin, her sensitive and introspective personality, her myriad of friendships with a wide variety of people have influenced her life story.

Anything But Simple is beautifully written. I love the way Luci pictures farm life, her descriptions of her close-knit family, and her explanations of important church events such as baptism and communion. Luci also shares honestly about some of the hard things in her life, her father's youthful rebellion, church conflict, and her personal doubts about God. You might read the book and disagree with some of Luci's choices, but I appreciate her courage in revealing her weakness, mistakes, and pain.

I've had the chance to meet Luci several times and I know that Luci is genuine. This isn't a fake Mennonite/Amish depiction like one of those Amish romance books or the Amish TV shows. This is one young woman's view of what it is to wrestle with her identity as Christ-follower and a Mennonite and I'm glad she was willing to take us along.

Luci offered to give away an autographed copy of Anything But Simple to a Home Joys reader. I had bought several copies from Luci, thinking that I'd host my own giveaway, but I've managed to give all my copies away already. If you want a chance to win a copy, just leave a comment with your email address on this blog post.

You can view a trailer of Anything But Simple here. You can order your own copy of the book on Amazon or Menno Media. Or contact Luci through her blog to purchase an autographed copy.

Giveaway will be open for one week from today. Winner will be chosen by random.org. US mailing addresses only. This post contains affiliate links.

GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.