The Amish Way

Reviews / Votes

In their second book together after their best-selling AmishGrace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy, Kraybill (seniorfellow, Young Ctr. of Elizabethtown Coll.), Steven M. Nolt(history, Goshen Coll.), and David L. Weaver-Zercher (Americanreligious history, Messiah Coll.) go further in depth into Amishspirituality.Filled with Amish voices, the book is a compellingweave of anecdotes of Amish religious beliefs, practices, andaffections, divided into four parts: spirituality, community,everyday life, and the things that matter. Describing the Amishfaithful as secure, serene, and content, the authors furtherexplore ways in which the non-Amish, or "English," can learn fromAmish spirituality. Their inclusion of a short history ofAnabaptists (the antecessors of the Amish), a sample lectionary,and the "Rules of a Godly Life" makes this insightful work evenmore delightful. VERDICT Adding to the growing body ofliterature on the Amish, this book will be a welcome addition toacademic religion collections and of interest to readers at publiclibraries as well. (Library Journal, October 2010) Kraybill, Nolt, and Weaver-Zercher (Amish Grace) team up oncemore to offer insight into the often misunderstood world of theAmish. Refreshingly, this study makes a point of focusing on thespiritual and theological aspects of their world rather than simplycataloguing the outward cultural characteristics. Horse-drawntransportation and simple clothing do make their appearances, butthey are revealed to be simply incidental to a deeply felt faithrather than something to gawk at. Focusing on a triumvirate ofreligious beliefs, practices, and affections, the authors weave thespirituality of the Amish through the everyday fibers of existence.Chapters are organized by broad themes including "nature,""sorrow," and "family," then further subdivided into shortvignettes featuring a particular practice or belief. The finalchapter contains the broadest appeal. It includes a candidappraisal of the costs of living the Amish way, but, moreimportantly, also suggests how American culture could greatlybenefit from the patient faith of this proudly "peculiar" people.All together, the book reads quickly and provides a fine andappropriately simple introduction to the Amish faith. (Oct.)(Publishers Weekly, September 14, 2010)