A Change & a Parting: My Story of Amana

As a lifelong resident of Iowa, I have always lived approximately 30 miles from the Amana Colonies. It remains the best place to eat in the area with excellent food, both in quality and quantity. The author of this book grew up in the Amanas in the early part of the twentieth century and this is her story of her experiences. The colonies were a communal society, where each person was assigned their task and when you needed something, you contacted the person and their services were free. Since the colonies were not completely self-sufficient, each colonist was given a credit allotment that they could spend in the stores. Elders that adjudicated disputes and needs on an individual basis governed the society. It was a society based on religious revelations and their specific religion was founded in Germany, so the primary language of the colonies was German. Their society was somewhat rigid in nature in that non-conformity was severely frowned upon and even marriage was considered to be less pure than a single lifestyle. When people departed from what was community policy, they were disciplined using tactics from being demoted in the church hierarchy to outright banishment. The great depression affected the colonies just like all other aspects of the American society and forced them to incorporate and allocate shares of stock to the members. It was also necessary for the colonies to open up to the presence of outsiders by opening restaurants and hotels. Yambura was in her teen years when this happened and she took a job as a waitress in one of the restaurants. She also attended a public high school and then college. After college she married an outsider and left the colonies, although she acknowledges the deep roots that remain. This book is interesting because it gives an inner description of the Amana Colonies in the time period, how the society was organized and what daily life was like. Although the modern reader will consider it a repressive society, it was highly ordered and free of all but petty crime. The society has proven to be adaptable and survives to this day, which is also a significant accomplishment.