The Gift to Be Simple: Life in the Amish Country

My friend gave me this book. I adored the beautiful photos. I think what I admired the most was Mr. Coleman's ability to obtain such remarkable photos. I was once Amish and remember the huge tour buses wiggling down the dirt lane. I remember the men telling us to turn quickly because it was considered vanity to have pictures taken. It is truly a gem for Mr. Coleman to capture such a true and vividly beautiful photo book!

This is a wonderful book if you want to look into the hearts of the amish and their more simple lifestyle. I love to spend time among the amish when I'm able......and when I'm not, a turn of the pages in this book quickly projects me there.....and into the more peaceable lifestyle they have, at least momentarily. Their lifestyle is not easy....but certainly more peace-filled. I give this book 5 stars - but would give more if I could. I highly recommend this book - if you love the amish and want to spend time with them....or want to learn more about them....this will give you an inside look.

Having grown up in Ohio and having to go through Amish country in eastern Indiana this book brought backso many memories. The pictures are wonderful and bring out the beauty of the Amish way of life. I have alwaysbeen fascinated with the Amish and was fortunate enough to get into an Amish home in Indiana and ths book brings about the essence of these plain, and simple people. It is a book that I will always treasure because of it's beauty and simplicity. It certainly needs no words to accompany the pictures. The pictures of the children certainly show their enjoyment of life.

I have many books of photographs and this is the most beautiful one I have seen. It was a gift to me that Bill Coleman shared these photos!He has managed to capture the spirit of the Amish - their simple life and their everyday lifestyle. You see their spirit shining through in these photos. The children are particularly beautiful and look so happy and innocent. The photos of the landscape are equally wonderful. It was only on my third *reading* of this book that I realized what they were missing : electric poles and wires. These photos could have been taken 100 years ago, the landscape is so unspoiled!I thank Bill Coleman for giving me this glimpse into the Amish world. Although I live not far from where he took these photos, they allowed me an inside look.

The photography in this collection is outstanding. It is, not only a glimpse into Amish life, but it is extremely beautiful artwork.The photgrapher captures the simplicity of Amish life in well-executed images. The photographs cover all aspects of Amish life, without being overly intrusive. If you have ever been fascinated with the Amish lifestyle, pick up this beautiful book.While I understand the lack of description, [the editor/author did not want to draw away from the simplicity of the photographs--and the point of this book is simplicity], I think that something was missing in this respect. If you are looking for the definitive book on Amish, I would have to tell you to pick up this book AND something with more written information. The combination would be a great asset. I cannot, however, detract from the five stars that I have given this book, simply because of its beauty. It is wonderful.