Max Zimmer's 3rd book of his trilogy "If Where You're Going Isn't Home" is out now. It's called "Not into Night". It's a fictionalized version of his mission experience in Austria. A new edition the book has been renamed "Instrument".

Max spoke at the ExMormon Foundation Conference a few years ago. The heartbreaking story is partly based on his own life.

In this book, he describes his living conditions. Often the assigned apartments required that he share a bed with his mission companion. Was that a usual practice?

He also describes only being able to shower/bathe in public bathhouses. Was that common?

The book is excellent, exquisite writing, highly recommended.

http://maxzimmer.com/if-where-youre-going-isnt-home/



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/04/2020 11:34PM by auntsukey.

We stayed in very poor housing in what the natives considered slums.

In four of the apartments I was in the longest. The first we did not have access to a shower and we showered once a week at the town bathhouse. The second place I lived was in a basement apartment owned by a member, we had a wonderful shower. The third place I remember the land lady let us use her bathroom once a week to shower ( we got in trouble for this.) The last apartment I remember well we showered about every two weeks at a member's house.

A few years ago my wife and I went to the first city I was in and I visited the apartment I lived in, I think my wife was pretty shocked to see what the situation actually was we lived in.

Sharing a bed was not common, but my brother shared a bed in Italy in one apartment. He also shared it with rats, but that's a different story.

Top

I was in northern Brazil, pre-1978. Never had to share a bed. Several apartments had bathroom/shower shared with other apartments, but a daily shower was no problem.

The shower heads usually had electric heads (220 usually) that heated the water. Sometimes their electrical insulation failed. That would give you a good wake up jolt!

Did you have maids?

Yes, though in some places the maid didn't have any cleaning duties at our individual apartments, but the whole district of mishies would eat at a common kitchen in one of the apartments, so the maid cooked for the whole group, and did the laundry once a week or so. We usually did our own breakfast, or often just did a small bun with butter and a glass of milk at a street corner store, what we would probably call a C store now in the US.

But yeah, no cooking, food shopping, or laundry duties. That was nice. Now that I think about it, in some places, meals were included in the rent. We did occasionally buy fruit or sweets/baked goods at the local street markets.

ETA: I don't really have awful memories about the living conditions. Prices were so cheap that going to a restaurant now and then was doable, we routinely took buses, and an occasional taxi, though that was a luxury. Our life wan't luxurious, but not awful either.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/07/2020 09:09PM by Brother Of Jerry.

Back in the day of each missionary having to pay $125/month to the mission (that's the figure I remember), most of us had plenty of spending money. We had full maid service (included in the $125) and there were always beans and rice on the stove. I can't conjure up an image of a refrigerator! We ate out a lot. My mom, a non-member, insisted that I call her once a month and she came down both summers I was there to visit me. I never thought about it at the time, but I bet the MP didn't like it. She didn't meet him, but she did meet Sis. MP.

The apartments were nice, in good areas. But I do recall having one double bed that was more bird's nest than bed.

I had a simply lovely mission, especially during the last five months, when I went inactive.

In our apartments, we either had bunk beds or separate single-person beds.


When we went to zone conference, sometimes we stayed on the floors of other elders' apartments, with mattresses being thrown down to cover every bit of space - that was awful if you had to use the bathroom in the night.

One zone conference we stayed at a Formule 1 hotel. Formule 1 was a bit like Motel 6 in France, except that the rooms were dormitory-style with bunk beds, and you had self-cleaning single-user shower stalls down the hall.


I remember having to share beds with elders in hotels during other zone conferences. I'm blanking on one of the three (if I remember it, I'll edit this later), but the other two I remember much more clearly:

One was a poor elder with a condition that affected his walking. He seemed to have the worst time on his mission. He gave it his all, but when tracting is damn hard, and the mission president is unsympathetic, it hardly matters.

Another was a companion of mine who had issues. I woke up in the middle of the night with his upper right arm sprawled across and pressing down on my face. I don't think he was trying to hurt me, but I did have to struggle to get out from under it as he slept.


In all, it was always weird having to share any space with another missionary - let alone a bed.

Tyson



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/16/2020 10:41AM by Tyson Dunn.

I agree with the recommendation. Incredible book with unexpected twists and beautiful descriptive language. I read the trilogy and was excited to get to book 3 because my son served in Austria. Son came home, gave his report, took off his garments and was done with the whole thing. That was the signal I was waiting for because I hadn’t believed for years. I’m trying to get my son to read the book because I know he will find it incredibly engaging.

The book begins in 1963, a really impactful year for Americans. Zimmer incorporates the civil right movement which exerts a strong pull for Elder Tauffler because his girlfriend is Negro—the word Black was not yet in common usage. Tauffler plays jazz trumpet which also provides him with a broad range of Austrian friends and African American musician heroes. Zimmer writes the book in second person, an engaging perspective. His story rings with truth. It is certainly not your usual faith-promoting missionary experience. Elder Tauffler’s companions run the gamut from tight-assed rule followers to complete non-believing rule breakers. This book tops my reading list for this year. You will not be disappointed.

I agree with the book recommendation. I am an avid reader and this book tops my list for the year. If you’re feeling bored with the lockdown and need something engaging to read, you can’t go wrong with Max Zimmer’s trilogy. If you just want to read about Elder Tauffler’s (harrowing) mission to Austria in book 3, Zimmer gives you enough background on previous events that I think the book could be a stand alone novel. Highly recommend. From a recovering English teacher who hasn’t been to church in 20 years.

The scene of Shake's excommunication made me shudder.

The "authorities" wringing out every last sordid detail, I could imagine them all sitting around, one spittle short of slobbering, with their hands in their laps, under the table, if you know what I mean.

This ex-communication scenario with the leaders probing for the sexual minutiae seems not to be uncommon.

I had to use a public bathhouse once a week, and I had to share a bed. Late one winter my room was unheated.

Good-times-ly yrs,

S

"The book is excellent, exquisite writing, highly recommended."

We get it, you like the book. I doubt the writing even begins to approach John Steinbeck in quality.

and be a dick about it.

It's okay for other people to like things. If it isn't your cup of tea, move along.

What is the name of the second book? It isn't showing up on Amazon and the first and last book are.

you can learn a lot at the author's website:

http://maxzimmer.com/


ETA: start here, maybe...

http://maxzimmer.com/about-max-zimmer/



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/17/2020 04:39PM by elderolddog.

The Trilogy is "If Where You're Going Isn't Home"

Book 1 "Journey"
Book 2 "Of the World"
Book 3 "Not Into Night". (This might be renamed in a later edition.)


Here is Max's talk at the ExMormon Foundation Conference 2016.

https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-Lkry-SF01&hsimp=yhs-SF01&hspart=Lkry&p=Max+Zimmer+EXmormon+fountation+conference+video#id=1&vid=ba61f0185fbfcd92771334078992e1f5&action=click