A History of the Amish

Rating:
Summary: a reliable guide
Review: to a topic that would not be considered terribly exciting by most people. Here in plain English, with no bias whatsoever, is the history of one of the most unfamiliar peoples residing in the United States. You have here a detailed but fast-paced account not only of the Amish's origin in Switzerland, Saxony, and the Netherlands in the 16th century, but also of their trials and tribulations in their eventual settling in the New World. Of particular interest to me personally was the historical origins of, and divergence between the Amish and the Mennonites with regard to the question of technology. This book has clarified for me the historical and religious reasons why the Amish have come to choose the way of life they have. I came away from reading this book not only with a deeper understanding of how and why of the Amish (and the Mennonites), but also with a much deeper respect for the genuine humility and modesty the Amish practice in their everyday lives through their work, emphasis on community, and manner of dwelling in harmony with nature. Having lived in Pennsylvania and Ohio for many years, I always believed the Amish to be the only realistic model of a non-monastic community that could convincingly claim to strictly follow the Christian ethos of non-violence and neighborly love. Happily, this book has done much to substantiate much of my own observations about the Amish. But this book is not just about the Amish's past-- in allowing us to to know more about the way the Amish live, and their reasons for it, this short history may give us pause and allow us to re-examine the empty rhetoric of "community" and "empowerment" that fills the double-speak of modern politics and many a special-interest group's battle cries. Definitely recommended to anyone interested in a highly successful form of communal living -- one that is not based on a childish rebellion against the modern world, but one based on a childlike acceptance of man's fundamentally naked condition regardless of his technological progress.