The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 105, July 2001 - April, 2002 Page: 197

2001 Book Reviews 197
and separatism. I read with great interest, for example, the account of Henry J.
Becker, who was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1917, stationed at Camp Travis in
San Antonio, and refused to transport heavy artillery. The most surprising part
of his story is that, rather than receiving support from fellow Mennonites in his
home community, he was actually castigated for upholding church doctrine,
even by his very own minister! Iorio explains that the issue of conscientious
objection in World War I forced Mennonites to rethink and sharpen their views,
eventually leading to a more proactive, positive position known as the "peace
stand," the "peace initiative," or "peace theology" (pp. 167, 192, 196, 267).
Similar changes occurred in terms of separatist religious taboos such as dancing,
women speaking publicly, etc.
Fazth's Harvest contributes to literature that, since the 196os, has focused on
the coming-of-age experiences of immigrant ethnic-religious groups in particu-
lar locales. It successfully interprets the self-understanding of Oklahoma
Mennonites as it has become modified and yet has endured.
Bartlett, Texas ALAN J. WATT