The Schoenbrunn Chronicles: 75 Years in the Paraguayan Chaco
Compiled by Agnes Balzer & Lieselotte Dueck, trans. Henry & Esther Regehr
Sweetwater Books, 2009
363 pages
This collection about village 8 of Fernheim Colony, Paraguay, translated from German, contains brief colourful stories, some poetry, and photographs grouped under 11 themes. Pioneering Mennonites in a new land is a dominant theme. Mostly filtered through the lens of childhood, stories tell of hardship and death, wild animals and herding cattle, nostalgia for Russia but gratefulness for freedom, encountering new people, and devotion to God and church. “Unforgettable People” memorializes teachers, pastors, and family members. The book ends with more recent stories of “Joy and Sorrow in Family Life.” Footnotes give additional information and maps are provided at the back.
—Karla Braun
