Author Maureen Klassen has created a new book called It Happened in Moscow.

Author Maureen Klassen has created a new book called It Happened in Moscow.

Mennonite history explored in new book

Local author examines Mennonites' connection with Russia.

A local author has transformed a personal story of family reunion into a warm memoir. When working for the Mennonite Central Committee in Moscow in the 1990s, Maureen Klassen received a call from someone who said she was a long-lost relative. This led to the discovery of half-secret family relationships. The result is a memoir called “It Happened in Moscow,” in which Klassen unravels the full story through Russian history in the 1980s and 1990s.

She also shares the stories of some people she met who were unable to leave the Soviet Union, as many of Abbotsford’s Mennonites had done.

Klassen has been holding launch parties throughout Canada, including one in Abbotsford late last month. The book is available at the House of James Christian bookstore in Abbotsford, and at Mennonite Historical Society office in Clearbrook.

Abbotsford News