True Stories of the X Amish

Some people may be disturbed at labeling the Amish as a cult, but the way they live, as described by the authors (and from personal observation) is indeed very cultic in the sense of their isolation from the world and control of family and community members. This book is a real eye-opener for those who think of the Amish as just a quaint Christian group. Of course, not all Amish assemblies are as described in this book, but the basic philosophy that leads to the cult behaviors are inherent in the Amish teachings. Theirs is a work-oriented-salvation belief system which is contrary to evangelical biblical teachings.

The practice that Ottie tells about in the book touches home with me. While I was never Amish , I once attended Jehovah's Witnesses Hall for several years, I never became a JW but now I am shunned by family and have been announced by the local elders that they are not to associate with me. Sad thats not the way Jesus means it to be.

This was the second book about the Amish that I read to satisfy my curiosity about Amish life. The stories in this book were written from interviews with people who have left the Amish life for various reasons. Before I read it I worried that the goal of the book was to slam the Amish revenge purposes or some other bad reason. After reading the book I realized that these are the stories of people in search of freedom, usually religious freedom. Others left to avoid sexual or physical abuse. Being an American I cannot be upset with x-Amish who are seeking the life that they want for themselves in the name of freedom and/or religious freedom. It is interesting to note that the Amish left Germany in the 1800s to seek religious freedom but according to this book, the community that was set up then prevented those born into the faith from practicing that same religious freedom. Because the Amish are born into the faith they are faced with a choice in their late teens to either join the Amish religion or to leave the community and never speak to their Amish relatives and friends again-what a tough choice if one has some doubt about whether to join the church or not.Reading this book allowed me to picture Amish life in more of a balanced and normal way than reading my first book "Rosanna of the Amish" which was written by a happy Amish man-it romanticized the Amish life and didn't have any negative aspects of Amish life. The complete lack of anything negative was suspicious to me. I was left wondering if Amish life was sheer perfection with all happiness and love (albeit laden with hard physical weather and lacking in comforts such as the use of running water and indoor plumbing).Some Amish people commit crimes but the Amish try to get the charges dropped in the American law system and they deal with (or not deal with) matters in their own way. I learned that children begin hard physical labor at a young age and that boys of 5 years old are doing the work of a full-grown man. Using some of the equipment is dangerous and it is reported that at least one major injury or death happens per week to children while performing hard labor tasks. Also it was mentioned that verbal acknowledgment of emotions (love) and physical affection (hugs and kisses) from parent to child is not done in the Amish world. Sharing emotion is looked down upon (how sad). Spanking and harsh beatings are the norm even for accidents or for slow manual labor according to a story in the book. This book made me realize that some Amish are as curious about the non-Amish as some of us are about them. Some younger Amish sneak in bits and pieces of "English" life. For example, some teens sneak out at night to drink alcohol and take illegal drugs experimentally, much the same as some American teens do. Some "English" sneak money to Amish children who sneak to buy candy or portable radios (both are prohibited). In one case an Amish girl is not taught about sexuality or pregnancy and ends up sur

I am also from the Amish and the stories in this book rang very true to me. I worked in a capacity for a number of years where I heard such stories regularly. Well written and I congratulate Mr. Garrett for being willing to help these people tell their side of things. Thank you. Each story is a little different as are the people who shared them and I know it took courage to be able and willing to tell the truth. To many books are out there already which glamourize the Amish beyond anything that is true. Thank you for your time.

I do believe what was stated in this book. I don't know for sure that I would have if I hadn't had a first hand explination about the Amish clan. That is what it seems like to me. The reason how I have 1st hand explinations is because my brother-in-law is X-Amish. I have sat and listened to them talk for hours about their live in there. He is from the Clark Missouri group. I never realized that there were so many people out there in the world that use to be Amish. A few friends of ours that are X-Amish also wrote a book about the Amish. There are about 10 different people in this book that tells their story of life in and how they finally left and the reason's why they choose to stay out here. With us English people. I have to agree with you totally.