If you live in a conservative Mennonite community, edges are sewn shut and questions have answers. So if you’ve got a saucy tongue and a wide curiosity about the world, you’ve got a story to tell. 

As a schoolteacher in a small Mennonite school in rural Wisconsin, Lucinda wears long dresses and a prayer covering. But she uses a cell phone and posts status updates on Facebook. So why would a young woman with access to all these technologies remain within a sheltered community like the Plain Mennonites? How can someone with an eye for beauty and a sometimes sardonic wit stay within a tradition that values discipline and submission and uniformity? 

Anything but Simple is the stirring memoir of a young woman’s rich church tradition, lively family life, and longings for a meaningful future within her Mennonite faith. 

The book includes “A Day in the Life of the Author” and the author’s answers to FAQs about the Amish and Mennonites.