Blush: A Mennonite Girl Meets the Glittering World

Showalter, now a former college president, was born to a Mennonite family in Lititz, Penn., and much of her memoir takes place in this small town with a Mennonite community at its center. Aside from initial chapters that outline basic information about Showalter’s ancestors, this is mainly the story of Showalter’s childhood, up to her teenage years. The author-memoirist describes growing up Mennonite; her story affords glimpses into this religion’s traditions and rituals. Readers learn how a Mennonite community responds to families in mourning, as when Showalter’s sister dies, and how women in Mennonite families pass on “culinary heirlooms,” i.e., handwritten recipe books. Unfortunately, Showalter’s simplistic writing style limits the scope of some of her observations. The fact that the memoir is written in chronological order makes it read like a diary and deprives it of narrative drive. Filled with platitudes (“Everyone’s childhood is some mixture of sweet and sour”), this memoir will interest readers who want to learn about growing up Mennonite, but it provides more information than insight. (Sept.)