Mennonite Valley Girl

June 14, 2021
Poet and essayist Funk (Every Little Scrap and Wonder) mines her 1980s Mennonite upbringing in rural British Columbia in her tender and funny latest work. This series of delightfully frank essays touches on everything from believing dancing was a sin (“unless you were a ‘Holy Roller,’ also known as ‘filled with the Holy Ghost’ ”) to questionable fashion choices that left her body “hidden... left to speculation and guesswork.” She also confesses her long-held suspicion that she’s adopted (when she prods her mother about pregnancy photos, she gets a vague “I guess I was the one behind the camera” in response); recalls the humiliation of hitting puberty (“how did breasts grow anyways”); and, in one particularly heartbreaking essay, confronts the shame she felt around her father’s drinking. In luminous prose that effortlessly portrays the intimate and familiar pangs of growing up, Funk captivates from the get-go, and the ’80s nostalgia will hit the spot for those who came of age amid skyscraper bangs, acid-washed jeans, and the ubiquity of teen heartthrob Kirk Cameron. These small-town stories are big on charm.

September 1, 2021
While this memoir from Funk could be regarded as a coming-of-age tale for the increasingly fractured U.S., where many young people question their conservative religious roots, readers may be surprised to learn that the author hails from Canada. Although lax by strict Mennonite standards, Funk's background contributes to her youthful unease and questioning. While her mother is pious, her father drinks too much and swears: not hallmarks of virtue in Mennonite belief. Memoir-lovers looking for the large-scale flash of Educated or The Glass Castle will not find it here, but there is much to admire nevertheless. The chapter on the ""red apron"" is a beautifully told account of faith and persistence; readers who've dealt with eating disorders will recognize a fellow sufferer; and those who feel stifled or misunderstood by their religion, region, or family will find much to relate to. Many readers are sure to find a kindred spirit in Funk, who relates her struggle to define herself in skillfully crafted prose. The book's ending almost certainly promises a second installment of her story.

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