She went on to earn an MA and a PhD from UCLA where she wrote her dissertation on American-British author Henry James.
[5] In 2006, Janzen's husband of 15 years left her for a man and a few days later she suffered serious injuries in a car accident.
[6] While on sabbatical from her teaching position,[7] she went home to her Mennonite family in Fresno, California, to heal from these crises.
Right, tells the story of her experiences surviving breast cancer, becoming a stepmom,[10] and attending her new husband's Pentecostal church.
[12] Janzen's first memoir, Mennonite in a Little Black Dress, has received acclaim for its comedic elements and was a finalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor.