The plethora of Amish fiction books flooding the reading markets are often light and romanticized versions of the Amish sects. For readers with more discriminatory tastes, there are Amish autobiographies, better-than-formula fiction, and a new soon-to-be released fiction book based on a former Amish man, which offer honest interpretations of being Amish.
My philosophy about Amish reading? I prefer Amish books which offer deeper characterizations, better insight, and less romanticized stories about the Amish. In these books I find greater satisfaction involving complex human dilemmas and honest questions about being Amish.
If you're looking for Amish reads like that, too, here a few books I can recommend:
Growing Up Amish by
Ira Wagler
A Basketful of Broken Dishes by
Naomi
Stutzman
Why I Left the Amish by
Saloma Furlong
I haven't read these next two books yet, but they are on my future reading lists:
The Greater Inheritance by
Mary Schrock
My Journey to Freedom by
Mattie Mullet
As for fiction, I find many of
Dale Cramer's Amish themed books better reads than most standard formula Amish fiction.
One little known, but unforgettable, historical Amish novel really captured my interest:
Eyes at the Window by
Evie Yoder Miller.
Coming in August from River North is a novel from
Alice Jay Wisler,
Still Life in Shadows. Her novel is based on the life story of
Mose Gingerich, who has been featured in several National Geographic television documentaries.
So if Amish is your preferred genre, but you're looking for reads that stray from the typical bonnet books, try some of the books listed above.
Freelich lesen!
