Called to be Amish

Fewer than one hundred outsiders have joined the Old–Order Amish—and stayed—since 1950. Marlene C. Miller is one of them.

In this rare memoir, Marlene recounts her unhappy and abusive childhood, how she throws herself into cheerleading and marching band, and how she falls in love with Johnny, the gentle young Amish man who helps her lace her ice skates.

Against the wishes of both sets of parents, Marlene and Johnny get married and begin a family. Follow the author on this unusual journey to find out how God’s love called her out of bitterness and depression and into the warm embrace of her new Amish community.

Accompany her as she dons an Amish dress and prayer covering and gets baptized. Learn how she endures the strain of ten children, a hundred-acre farm, and accidents and tragedy, and find out how she comes close to walking away from it all. Turning Amish has proven to be anything but plain and simple for this former majorette. But nearly fifty years later, Marlene is still living out God’s call as an Old Order Amish woman.

My thoughts: While I enjoyed this story of an Englisher who decided to join the Amish due to finding love in their community, I felt like the story rambled a bit. That said, it is a interesting and sad story of a woman who has seen and gone through a lot in her lifetime. The reader is invited to feel Marlene's struggles and triumphs as she adapts to a different, simpler way of life.
I find it interesting that so few have converted to the Amish way of life in the last 65 years! I guess I can see that it is harder to compete with technology and modern amenities, since the gap between their way of life and the world's has grown a lot in recent years. I admire people who live simpler lives, like the Amish, though I think it would be hard. I enjoyed reading about Marlene's experience!
I received this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest review.