I really enjoyed this book. At 280 pages, The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance by Elna Baker is the perfect, easy-breezy, fun read that won’t take you very long to finish. You won’t want to finish, though, because it’s so enjoyable to read.
Okay, perhaps I shouldn’t call it easy-breezy. The memoir, comprised of many stories of Elna’s life as a Mormon in NYC, had me laughing out loud (awkward when reading in public, but so worth it) and cringing like any good memoir about a 20-something virgin living in the Big Apple should. But it was also very thoughtful. Mormonism is a religion I’ve heard plenty about, but I can honestly say I didn’t know much about at all. I don’t want to be judgmental (not that you should be anyway) without knowing the score. I actually found myself on the LDS website looking into Mormonism beliefs and values while reading this book.
So I educated myself on a religion and I laughed along the way with the book. Two birds, one stone.
I loved Elna’s writing. She’s not just talking about being a Mormon, or pushing and pressing her faith on anyone. She’s talking about being a single 20-something trying to survive dating and working and living in New York City, with the addition of her faith, something she is constantly struggling to believe in…or not. Any 20 year old can relate to trying to find their place in the world…especially when it has been planned for you most of your life and you start to believe it might not really be all it’s cracked up to be.
I highly recommend this book. I hadn’t heard of it until I read this post on a friend’s blog. I’m glad she recommended it. I’m doing the same.
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