Female voices are rare in the historical record of the Mennonites. Nevertheless, Mennonite women were influential in shaping Mennonite and Canadian society. Mennonite Women in Canada, the first comprehensive history of Mennonite women, traces their role over the past two hundred years. Marlene Epp explores women's roles within the contexts of immigration, family, church life, work, education, and social life. Comparing how Mennonites dictate women's "place" within society with how women actually behave, Epp finds a contradiction between behavioral ideals and practicalities. Also, women's responses to dictates about their proper place vary widely, unsettling a clear delineation of their roles. Using diaries, oral histories, genealogies, and memoirs, Epp presents a fascinating story of Canadian Mennonite women that deserves to be read by women and men everywhere.

Marlene Epp teaches history and peace and conflict studies at Conrad Grebel University College at the University of Waterloo. She is the author of Women without Men: Mennonite Refugees of the Second World War and co-editor with Franca Iacoveta and Frances Swyripa of Sisters or Strangers? Immigrant, Ethnic, and Racialized Women in Canadian History.