Growing Up Plain: Witty and Confessional Memories from the Adolescence of a "plain" Mennonite GirlWhat is it like to be a young woman who dresses "plain?" How does it feel to be so identifiably different? What allowed Shirley Kurtz to find warmth and humor in her Mennonite upbringing? In this witty and lightly confessional memory, Kurtz unearths the painful and hilarious details of marching through adolescence. Not only was she worried about whether glances from particular boys were gestures of love, but she was burdened by how to make her required capes look interesting, trying not to be jealous of her friend, Gloria, who could wear skirts and blouses, and pretending to be beautiful Renee in the Sears Catalog. While there is every adolescent's uncertainty in these pages, there is also the wonder of being loved. ("You have to understand this: my mother was doing her best. My mother wanted me to be happy.") |
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