There is something about the Amish that is fascinating to me. When I had the opportunity to read Growing Up Amish by Ira Wagler, I jumped at the chance.Ira Wagler was born in an Amish community in Canada before his family moved to Bloomfield, Iowa. It was there, as one of eleven children, that grew up. He tells us a bit about how the culture works. How his brother was "chosen" to be a Bishop, how his brother Titus because paralyzed while swimming in a farm pond. And how the Amish community as a whole helped to pay his $80,000 in medical bills. But the most important part of this story is how Ira came to leave the Amish community. Several times.
Growing Up Amish is an honest and fair look at what it was like to grow up Amish. How oppressive one man felt and how he "broke free" from the religion. And doing so was neither easy nor without complications. The book is a fairly fast read, yet fascinating in that voyeuristic kind of way. If you have any interest in the Amish culture you will enjoy this book, if not you may find it a bit boring.
It is good to be back at last catching up with your blogging activities, lots of posts while I was away. This novel about an Amish community sounds like one I should maybe keep an eye open for as it sounds interesting.
I love these kinds of books and am very interested in the Amish. Sounds good!
I've heard good things about this book all over the blog-sphere so I'm looking forward to reading it. Thanks for dropping by http://kafkatokindergarten.blogspot.com/ i'm a new follower here.
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