It often feels like many years since my books were published. So when there are new book reviews that come out of nowhere, I am reminded that it is actually less than two years since Bonnet Strings was published. That is a very long time for a book these days, I know. But when you pour your life into a […]
In my home community in Ohio, I was taught that you are either Amish or not — there simply is no in between. One could not pick and choose which of the rules or traditions to follow and which ones to ignore. Amish have a long memory for the martyrdom that their ancestors endured in the Old Country. We were
Amish Man Suing Federal Government Read More »
Once in a while our advanced technology helps us to discover something new in nature. That happened last week, when something unexpected came up in my Google alert set at "Amish." There was a story in the Inquistr by Patrick Frye about a white deer population at the army depot in Seneca, New York called Rare White Deer at Seneca
What to Do about the Seneca White Deer? Read More »
Amish have received many exemptions for their religious beliefs over the years — from compulsory education, from child labor laws, from installing fire alarm in their homes, and from paying social security taxes and health insurance to name a few. They have been granted these and other exemptions partly because their culture is perceived by many to be a model
Pride or Humility? Read More »
I did not realize until this past year, that the impetus for writing my first book, Why I Left the Amish, was essentially to find acknowledgement of the struggles of my childhood. Both my parents died without acknowledging the difficulties all seven of their children endured. My siblings and I have dealt differently with the struggles we went through. While
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I grew up with the tradition of saying a silent prayer before and after each meal in my Amish family and community. Once we were gathered around our kitchen table, my father would say "Händt nunna" (Hands down) and we would all put our hands in our laps and bow our heads. When we heard my father's hands brushing up
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