Upstairs the Peasants are Revolting: More Family Life In A Farmhouse

by Dorcas Smucker

          Get ready for another rollicking reading ride -- when you can't tell if the tears you suddenly find on your cheeks are from laughing or from crying. Dorcas Smucker once again writes so vividly about life with her six kids that you'll be convinced you have a place at their table, your own seat in their van, a list of chores with your name at the top, and a small hankering for trouble -- just like one of the family. She and her kids are innocently funny and usually well-meaning, trying hard to manage all their energy and their peculiar points of view.           Jenny asks questions endlessly like, "What's inside your lips?" Matt has serial obsessions -- animals to astronomy. Ben drops caterpillars down the gaps in the porch floor and has a 12-year collection of scars. Emily moves effortlessly from being a whirling Queen of the Smuckers to posing as a pompous science lecturer. Amy phones home to report that, "New York City is not dangerous," and "We girls walk outside at night." And 9-year-old Steven from Kenya joins the family, soon demonstrating the same compulsion as his new brothers by throwing balls in the living room.           What makes this collection a stand-out is Dorcas' "Mother voice." With each new development, she's clear about the outcome she's hoping for, less certain about how she'll accomplish it, willing to confess the way things unfold. Dorcas Smucker, writer and mom, is bravely honest and hilariously humble. She never fails to give courage to any parent who reads these joyride chapters, while relentlessly entertaining.

Genres: Nonfiction, Christian, Humor, Memoir, Parenting

168 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2007

Reviews

[Mary Anne Brady · Rating 5 out of 5]

I so enjoyed this second book of Dorcas Smucker's. I enjoy reading some of her blog, and even though this book is now almost a decade old, her writing style and content are as heartwarming as ever. She has an amazing way of connecting with a broad audience, including people like me who don't share her Mennonite culture. This book is the perfect book to set out in a guest room or a cabin for people to pick up and read snippets of, since the short chapters can all be read independently of one another. It could also be a fun book to read out loud to family and discuss the values behind each essay.

[Lanette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick, quaint read. Chapters were taken from the author's newspaper column, so they are stand-alone. This was definitely more family-life than farmhouse.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read most of this book in the car on our Road Trip, husband really enjoyed it! We have one chapter left on June 14th. Finished! Lovely memoir vignettes.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the title was my favorite part; wish I had thought of it. As a former Mennonite, and the mother of a larger than normal family, and the mother of a son from Kenya, I was able to relate to many stories in this book.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stories of mothering and simple things from an old order Mennonite woman. This is heartwarming without being cheesey. Challenged me to be a better mom and more loving neighbor.

[Traci Haley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even better than the first! I particularly loved the essay written about patriotism and the series written about the Smuckers' time in Kenya and the adoption of their son.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, easy read.

[Emily Giesbrecht · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of stories about ordinary life by a Mennonite pastor's wife. I enjoyed it.