Book reading to be held for new memoir on Hutterites

GOSHEN, Ind. – A book reading will be held for journalist, poet and author Robert Rhodes' new book Nightwatch: An Inquiry into Solitude...Alone on the Prairie with the Hutterites (Good Books, 2009) on Tuesday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. in Goshen College's Newcomer Center Room 19. The event will include a lecture and a discussion as well.

The memoir reflects on the six years that Rhodes and his family spent living in a Hutterite colony in Minnesota. Publisher's Weekly wrote about the book: "A chronicle of his existential journey from privileged son of the South and agnostic writer to member of a communal religious sect that opposes war, this is no titillating exposé or angry account from a disillusioned exile. While Rhodes and his wife and three children ultimately left the colony because of internal conflicts and concern for their daughters' circumscribed futures, the author manages to find a voice that is equal parts critical and compassionate. ... his unaffected spirituality, historical acumen and prairie-studded prose make a lovely and moving read."

Sponsored by the Goshen College Communication Department and the Mennonite Historical Society, the event is free and open to the public. Signed copies of the book will be for sale.

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college's Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron's Best Buys in Education, "Colleges of Distinction," "Making a Difference College Guide" and U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges" edition, which named Goshen a "least debt college." Visit www.goshen.edu.