Wisdom of the Plain Folk: Songs and Prayers from the Amish and Mennonites

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing in comparison with other boooks
Review: I was raised in Lancaster County, but have not lived there in thirty years. I've made more recent visits than usual, as well as extra attempts to get in touch with my roots, which include the Reformed Mennonite Church two generations back (sometimes called "Herrites"). This book has some few beautiful photographs, and several lovely sayings -- but it seems superficial and communicates little useful information about the place and culture. A nice soundbite for those tourists with particularly short attention spans, but otherwise disappointing. I recommend checking other books under Lancaster, PA, and Mennonites, Herald Press, author Martha Denlinger. I consider most readers would be much more satisfied with something else.

Rating:
Summary: stunning, wise and calming
Review: When the authors first arrived in Amish country of Pennsylvania with the intention of opening an inn, they were greeted the first night by their Plain neighbor from across the street who brought them fresh-baked cookies (the author often refers to the Amish and Mennonite people simply as "Plain Folk", capitalized as a proper noun). From there, they began to integrate themselves into the culture and lives of the Plain Folk, winning their trust and sharing in their lives.

The book is a collection of stunningly beautiful photographs of this area and collections and excerpts of sayings, proverbs and songs used as worship. The color photographs are plain themselves, like the people they chronicle, but contain a profundity that is difficult to translate into words. For example, I'm looking at a photograph, probably taken near dusk or just after sunrise, of a windmill against a darkening sky. There is a tree next to the windmill, and it's branches are bare. Puffy, dissolving cumulus clouds are lazing their way across the photo, and the general effect is one of immense calm. It's the very sort of photo that, despite the sparse content, makes me want to look at it, drink it in, for hours. To think that this calm scene is no doubt an everyday sight makes my life seem chaotic, busy and loud.

The book is full of photographs like this one, some almost humorous. In one picture, approximately 15 or 20 buggies are lined up, sans horses, in a field with their bright red, triangular "slow moving vehicle" sign attached to the back. But, not so far away in the background are two tall grain silos, slightly blurry and dulled of color with the distance. The ground is brown and the trees bear no leaves. It's a deeply calming scene. At once it is both a haunting and warm image that makes the typical photograph of a more urban area seem almost debase and wretched, where people are rushing to and fro on "endless idiocies", as Orwell would put it.

Similarly, the songs and prayers, sayings and proverbs are also simple-Plain. Just to choose one at random, "Appetite comes with eating; the more you eat, the more you want. -Amish farmer's proverb". The accompanying photograph is of a corn crib with dulled yellow cobs half under a pile of snow.

The overall effect of the book has been, for me, one of calm stillness, a mood that makes me look around at all the piles of silly JUNK I've got stacked up, of all the preposterous advertisements blaring at me from television, radio and newspapers, and makes me wonder why do I HAVE all this stuff? It's an effect that makes me want to sweep away the flotsam and jetsam of my life and concentrate on what is REALLY important to me.

Rating:
Summary: More promise than delivery - but still worth owning
Review: Wisdom of the Plain Folk is a well designed book - one that respects the Amish and Mennonites one which it is based. The photography by Robert Leahy is excellent photography that is given an unusual depth because of the respect that it shows of his subject and their beliefs. The book justifies itself on the photography alone.

I am less enthusiastic about the text - although my lack of familarity with the available texts may have biased my evaluation. The proverbs, hymns and songs which are quoted have no specifically Amish/Mennonite quality e.g. "Well begun is half done". However, they are well chosen for their pairing with the photographs. As such, the combination of text and photo leads to an understanding of the strength and appeal of the Plain Folk way of life.