Memoir

(1979 - ): Mortifications

• Praise:

  Oddly for a book in the form of epitaphs, Nathan Russel Dueck’s (1979– ) is such a fun and pleasurable read, a book I looked forward to returning to every day as I was reading it. It’s funny, moving, charming, and self-deprecating in the most appropriate of places. I wish more books were like this. —Casey Plett, author of On Community

  A hilarious, witty, courageous romp through the treacherous shoals of Mennonite male adolescence, on the long journey from an over-religious upbringing with its attendant phobias, self-flagellations and guilt, to confident, compassionate, responsible adulthood. It’s not an easy journey! The author has taken great social and personal risks in his efforts to become whole. He has broken apart much of what counted as loyalty and goodness and self-respect in his fundamentalist home community, and refashioned the shards with laughter, self-parody and sorrow, into a gentler, more truthful and generous understanding of himself and the world. A must-read for our times. —Di Brandt, author of The Sweetest Dance on Earth: New and Selected Poems

  (1979– ): Mortifications stretches self-deprecation to perilous extremes. You will laugh, you will cringe, and your thighs will blush with recognition! It takes some hubris to write a memoir, but to write a memoir of one’s mortifications raises hubris to monumental heights. —Armin Wiebe, author of Grandmother, Laughing

Don't Try This at Home

• Book Club Questions:
  1. What is the most ambitious vacation you have taken, either by yourself or with your family?
  2. What would your dream trip abroad with your family look like? Where would you go? For how long?
  3. Do you prefer to travel with or without a set itinerary? Please explain your answer.
  4. What are some of Rob and Daria’s unexpected detours in the book? Have your travels ever included any detours? Was the outcome positive or negative?
  5. Do you have a preference for urban vs. nature-centric travel? Please explain.
  6. What is the longest time you have camped/tented on vacation? What are some of your most memorable moments from this experience (good or bad)?
  7. Rob and Daria encounter some pretty hair-raising moments with their kids during their year of travel (lice, “losing” Isla Blue, a 52-hour bus ride with a sick child). What are some of your diciest travel moments?
  8. “Better a broken bone than a broken spirit.” Daria cites this quote as one that has had a big impact on her parenting style. What phrases have informed your own parenting and where did you hear them?
  9. Similarly, Rob and Daria have built their marriage upon the idea that one of the best ways to keep your marriage fresh and make it last is to experience new things and go on adventures together. What do you think helps a marriage last?
  10. What “Western standards” do you value when travelling abroad? Have there been moments when you’ve pushed yourself out of your comfort zone? What was the outcome?
  11. On page 73, Rob lists and rebuts a number of tips for travelling with kids. Based on your own experience, would you add/remove/modify anything on this list?
  12. What are some of the barriers that might prevent you from taking on a trip of this magnitude? How do you think you might overcome them to make it happen?

Happiness is a Rare Bird

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