Mennonites: Suggested Basic Bibliography

The following suggested reading list may give you a basic introduction to different aspects: beliefs, lifestyles, ethnicity, demographics, history, culture, etc.

This reference page is designed to begin to answer questions of the type:

"Hi, I've heard a few things about Mennonites, but am not very familiar with them. I just found your 'Mennonite Connections on the WWW' website, and want to know more about the Mennonites, Amish, Hutterites, Brethren, and other related groups. If I don't want to dig through all the websites online one by one, what books do you suggest I use to get an introduction? Remember, I am looking for just the basics."

I asked for suggestions and recommendations from readers of MennoLink; here are the results. Some of these were mentioned several times.

Also, I highly recommend the Third Way Cafe as an excellent site for basic information about Mennonites and Amish, and their staff is available to answer questions.

• History, Beliefs
  • What Mennonites Believe and How Mennonites Came to Be by J. C. Wenger. (Herald Press, 1971, 1991) What Mennonites Believe is short and highly readable. It includes chapters such as "How Mennonites and Other Christians Are Alike", "How the Sixteenth Century Affects People Today", "Just How Are Mennonites Different?", "Living Closer to Christ's Teachings."
  • An Introduction to Mennonite History by C. J. Dyck. (Herald Press, 1993)
  • Through Fire and Water: An Overview of Mennonite History by Harry Loewen and Steven Nolt (Herald Press, 1996).
  • Becoming Anabaptist: The Origin and Significance of Sixteenth-Century Anabaptism by J. Denny Weaver (Herald Press, 1987).
  • Mennonites: Who and Why by Leroy E. Kennel
  • An Invitation to Faith by The Mennonite Fellowship
  • Anabaptism: Neither Catholic Nor Protestant by Walter Klaassen (Herald Press, c1974)
  • The Amish by John A. Hostetler (Herald Press, 1952, 1995). A reliable account of their beliefs and customs, with photos.
  • The Riddle of Amish Culture by Donald B. Kraybill.
  • Pilgrim Aflame by Myron Augsburger. Tells the story of Michael Sattler, an early Anabaptist martyr.
  • The Politics of Jesus by John Howard Yoder. "By far the most influential theological work ever written by a Mennonite. Many of his other writings would also be appropriate for this list."
  • A Community of Memory by Jeff Gundy.
  • Introduction to Theology by J. C. Wenger.
  • Redemption Realized Through Christ by Leland Haines.
  • Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective and related material.
  • See also the about mennonites, faith and history sections of the MennoLink Bookstore.
• Lifestyle
  • Mennonite Peacemaking: From Quietism to Activism by Leo Driedger and Donald Kraybill (Herald Press, 1994).
  • A Third Way by Paul Lederach
  • The "Mennonite Experience in America" and "Mennonites in Canada" series.
  • The Mennonite Mosaic
  • Mennonite Life by John A. Hostetler.
  • Living More with Less by Doris Janzen Longacre (Herald Press, 1980). Practical suggestions from the worldwide experiences of Mennonites. Also her More-With-Less Cookbook (Herald Press, 1976), now in its 43rd printing.
  • "The Quiet in the Land," 1977 radio documentary for the CBC, in "Glenn Gould's Solitude Trilogy," available on CD.
  • See also the peace and More-With-Less sections of the MennoLink Bookstore.
• Creativity and Traditions
  • Mennonite Community Cookbook by Mary Emma Showalter (1950). Eleven hundred recipes from old family kitchens.
  • Mennonite Foods & Folkways From South Russia by Norma Jost Voth, 2 volumes (Good Books, 1990-1991).
  • Hymnal: A Worship Book (1992). The current hymnal published jointly by Mennonite and Brethren denominations. There is a series of related resources, including several recordings and a concordance.
  • The Mennonite Starter Kit by Craig Haas and Steve Nolt. Humorous look at traditions and ethnicity.
  • Three Mennonite Poets by Jean Janzen, Yorifumi Yaguchi, David Waltner-Toews (Good Books, 1986)
  • See also the cooking, quilting, arts and music sections of the MennoLink Bookstore.
• Fiction
  • Rosanna of the Amish by Joseph W. Yoder (Herald Press, 1940, 1995). The true story of an Irish orphan who was reared to be Amish.
  • Yonie Wondernose by Marguerite de Angeli (A Caldecott Honor Book)
  • See also the fiction section of the MennoLink Bookstore.
• Other
  • "A Reader's Guide to Mennonite Literature" by Ervin Beck
  • "Basic Mennonite Library for Mennonite Brethren Congregations" (2nd ed., 1997) by the Historical Commission of the Mennonite Brethren Church. Bibliography, weighted toward the MB Church and other "Russian" Mennonite groups, but also has a fair amount of general items.
  • Herald Press
  • See also the full index and authors of the MennoLink Bookstore.
• (more entries on the way....)

Please send additional suggestions of helpful resources to bpl@umich.edu. Also, annotations or corrections for existing entries are welcome; in many cases I have not seen these books myself yet. Thanks.