Over the past decade, Amish fiction–and in particular the romance novel–has boomed in popularity. Valerie Weaver-Zercher joins us today to discuss the genre, including the history of the Amish romance (not as new as you might think), who reads–and writes–Amish romances, and what Amish think about them. Valerie is a writer and editor whose work [...]
Continue Reading Valerie Weaver-Zercher on the Amish romance novel
Last week on the Amish quilt shop post I mentioned I picked up a copy of Plain and Happy Living: Amish Recipes and Remedies. This is a book written by the quilt shop owner’s aunt. She noted that it isn’t common for an Amish woman to publish something like that (and even less so 20 [...]
Continue Reading Plain and Happy Living: Amish Recipes and Remedies
Amish-owned Raber’s book shop in Holmes County, Ohio We’ve featured Raber’s Bookstore a number of times on this blog. Raber’s is a long-lived Amish book seller in the heart of Holmes County. Mary Raber, who runs the place, kindly let me shoot a few photos during a recent visit. The outside of the shop. It [...]
Continue Reading Inside an Amish bookstore
I’ll be on Suzanne Woods Fisher’s show today at 5pm EST. Should be a fun time (there might even be a “pre-announcement” on the new book). If you’d like to tune in, you can listen here. And it will be available as a podcast as well. I think we have a pretty free-flow format [...]
Continue Reading On the radio today
Today we’ve got 6 winners of Ira Wagler’s Growing Up Amish. If you missed the original interview, in which Ira discusses Amish life, family relationships and how he ended up in Lancaster County, you can read it here: Growing Up Amish interview. Growing Up Amish winners I’ve tallied up all additional Facebook and blog entries. [...]
Continue Reading Growing Up Amish winners and Chapter 1 excerpt
Today, an interview with Ira Wagler on his new memoir, Growing Up Amish. Ira was born in the Aylmer, Ontario Amish community and grew up in Bloomfield, Iowa. During his youth and young adulthood he spent time on a Nebraska cattle ranch, Canadian wheat fields, and in Amish communities across the country. Ira struggled with [...]
Continue Reading Ira Wagler on Growing Up Amish: 6-book giveaway
We’ve got a winner today of last week’s History of the Bernese Anabaptists contest. As you’ll recall, the book was written in German by Ernst Müller and published in 1895. It waited over a century for its first English translation, a task which John Gingerich took on a few years ago. I’ve done a bit of translating [...]
Continue Reading History of the Bernese Anabaptists book winner
About four years back, Geauga County, Ohio native John Gingerich undertook to translate a text very important to the history of the Amish and other Anabaptists. History of the Bernese Anabaptists was written by Ernst Müller and published in 1895. Up until now it has never been available in English. In today’s interview, John explains [...]
Continue Reading John Gingerich on History of the Bernese Anabaptists: Interview and book giveaway
Commenting on a post last week, Donna Godfrey recommended reading books by Donald Kraybill. I’d second that. The Riddle of Amish Culture was one of the first I read and I think essential to understanding the Amish. The very first book I read on the Amish was Amish Society by John Hostetler, another good one, [...]
Continue Reading What’s your favorite Amish book?
A few odds and ends for your Friday. Enjoy! Mexican Mennonites Here’s a link to a recent piece on Old Colony Mennonites in Mexico. Old Colony Mennonites are the second-largest Plain Anabaptist group after the Old Order Amish. They share certain similarities with the Amish. Great photos and more info at the link. Growing Up [...]
Continue Reading Friday odds and ends
