All Things Amish: Nonfiction Favorites

Posted by Gwen B.

The Amish by Donald B Kraybill 

This book is well researched and well written. Donald Kraybill does a great job of giving a well round look at the community and life of the Amish in a much unbiased manner.

 

Pocket Guide to Amish Life by Mindy Starns Clark

This short book allows the reader to explore some of the concepts and beliefs of the Amish. Their clothing, transportation, courtship and marriage, shunning and discipline, teens and rumspringa, children and the elderly, education and work are all explored.

Amish Grace by Donald Kraybill, Steven Nolt, and David Weaver-Zercher

I read this book because a movie was created that is loosely based on this book. The three authors are academics who have thorough knowledge of the Amish culture and community. The core of the book is about the horrifying events of October 2, 2006 at the Nickel Mines Amish schoolhouse.

 

Plain Wisdom: An Invitation into an Amish Home and the Hearts of Two Women by Cindy Woodsmall, Miriam Flaud 

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed reading this book. The authors are two friends from different worlds—one Old Order Amish, one Englischer—share the truths that bring them together. What they share was entertaining and informative at the same time.

Thrill of the Chaste: The Allure of Amish Romance Novels by Valerie Weaver-Zercher

Valerie Weaver-Zercher combines research and interviews with devoted readers, publishers, and authors to produce a lively and provocative examination of the Amish romance novel. She discusses strategies that literary agents and booksellers use to drive the genre’s popularity. By asking questions about authenticity, cultural appropriation, and commodification, Thrill of the Chaste also considers Amish fiction’s effects on Amish and non-Amish audiences alike. What I find most interesting about this book is that the history of the genre I have come to enjoy so much goes back to 1905. Weaver-Zercher may not completely give the answer to what the excitement of Amish romance novels is but the historical journey of the genre made this book worth reading.

Wanda E. Brunstetter's Amish Friends Cookbook: 200 Hearty Recipes from Amish Country by Wanda E. Brunstetter

Brunstetter's Amish Friends Cookbook collection is a treasure trove of recipes and interesting facts from the heart of Amish country. With recipes divided into sections including breads and rolls, desserts, main dishes, sides, jams and jellies-and more!-you'll find only the best of home cooking between the pages of this delightful book. As an added bonus, you'll find featured facts about Amish life preceding each section of mouth-watering recipes.