Customer Rating: 
Summary: Not an effective overview or introduction
Comment: This book is promoted as an introduction and a popular history to Mennonite History, but Chapter Two (titled "Anabaptist Origins") fails to provide a lucid chronology of its subject matter. It starts off well enough, describing the roots of Anabaptism, but then veers off into a discussion of how previous historians addressed important themes of Anabaptist history. This discussion incomprehensible to outsiders new to the subject.
Its introduction of the Schleitheim Conference -- which apparently is an important aspect of Anabaptist history -- is clearly geared toward people who already know what happened at this conference. People reading a popular history or introduction should not need to surf the 'net to find out what the book is talking about.
People who looking for a thorough introduction that does not assume prior knowledge on the part of the reader should go elsewhere. This book does not meet the requirements of an introduction or popular history.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Informative
Comment: Not for everyone, but if this topic interests you this is the definitive source (that I am aware of.) Not a dry, academic text and very informative.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Thoghrough and Lively
Comment: Not challenging to read at all. Full of very informative and enlightening historical information in a lively context. Complete with references, accurate datings, the stories and challenges of the very first anabaptists and through the 20th century, how the church(es) have grown, political situations and MORE!
You can appreciate the work put into this.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Mennonite History
Comment: I found this book to be very helpful. The information contained in this volume was top notch and very much what I needed for my purpose.
Customer Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Source Of Information!
Comment: I'm currently working on my family history, one branch of which were Mennonites that came to America from Russia in 1874. This book has proven to be a valuable source of information, as the author not only discusses the origin and evolution of the Mennonite faith but also traces the migration of the Mennonite believers over the centuries.While this is not a book for everyone - it is not an easy read (college level) - the author does a great job in presenting the information and keeping the reader interested in what could otherwise be a very dry subject.
If you are researching your Mennonite roots or are just interested in learning more about the faith, this book is definitely worthwhile!!
