Ira Wagler on Growing Up Amish: 6-book giveaway

Today, an interview with Ira Wagler on his new memoir, Growing Up Amish.

ira waglerIra 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 life as an Amish person before finally leaving for good in his mid-20s.  Ira is a friend of mine and has a true gift for writing; the book is a page-turner.

We’ve also got a 6-book giveaway courtesy of the good folks at Ira’s publisher, Tyndale.

Growing up Amish 6-book giveaway

There are three ways to enter the Growing Up Amish giveaway contest:

growing up amish ira wagler1) leave a comment on this post=1 chance to win

2) share this contest on Facebook=2 chances to win

3) mention this contest on your blog=3 chances to win

So do all three, and you’ll have 6 chances to win Ira’s book.  If you share on Facebook or your blog, drop me a quick email at amishamerica(at)gmail.com letting know you did.

The contest runs for one week.  One stipulation: books can only be shipped to US or Canadian addresses.

The six winners will be chosen at random and announced here next Thursday, July 21.

Ira Wagler interview

Amish America: You’re quite blunt in telling your story, both about yourself, and those around you—family, community, church leaders (i.e., the “mad Bishop of Ligonier”, who, unlike most in the book, remains anonymous).  How have people responded?

Ira Wagler: Mostly, the response has been from my siblings, so far. And it’s been amazingly supportive. A bit of friction from one or two, but nothing that will estrange us, I think. All of them spoke of the searing trauma of going back and “reliving” those days with me. Of course, they were all on the sidelines, but they were there. Overall, I’ve been surprised and humbled by their reactions.

amish school yard baseball
Amish school yard in Aylmer, Ontario, circa 1972-3

You’ve spent time everywhere from your birth community of Aylmer to Bloomfield where you grew up, to Pinecraft in Florida to Indiana. Now you live in Lancaster County. How did you end up there? And how is life in Lancaster compared to those other places?

Ira Wagler: Yeah, it is a bit strange. Somehow, even after leaving, I found myself lurking around the perimeters of a large Amish community like Lancaster. I first came in the spring of 1989, after a friend invited me out to work construction during the summer months. That was the year I started college. After that, I returned every summer and grew to love the place. I have considered Lancaster County my home since the early 1990s.

Lancaster has the gamut of them all, from the sternest hard core Amish to some of the most enlightened people I know. Some of my closest friends here are Old Order Amish. I stop by weekly at a couple of Amish homes, just to hang out drinking coffee, and to beg bread and food from the goodwife. It’s a beautiful thing, especially for a guy living alone who can’t cook or bake.

Growing Up Amish seems as much about your relationship with your family as it is about your struggle with being Amish. At one point in the book, you are excommunicated after leaving. What is your status now, and how are things with your family?

Ira Wagler: Today, I am not excommunicated from the Amish church, which would be unfathomable here in Lancaster County. But I left the Amish church in the very progressive area of Goshen, IN, where they are much more enlightened about such things.

ira wagler home bloomfield
Ira Wagler’s boyhood home, Bloomfield, Iowa, mid-1990s

I am close to all my siblings. Closer to some than others, of course. But when we get together, we are all genuinely glad to see each other and to hang out with each other. I can’t be thankful enough for that.

There was a time, not that long ago, when our current relationships with each other would have been impossible. But with the passing of time, as we all got older, we’ve recognized the important things in life. And that includes us, me and my siblings, accepting each other, despite our differences in lifestyles.

And what does your family think of your writing? Since your father David is one of the originals at Family Life, it seems the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree?

Ira Wagler: Yeah, I am my father’s son in that respect, for sure. My family always knew I “had it.” Had what it takes. But none probably expected me to actually make it to publication. They are all proud that at least one son followed in his father’s footsteps, if not in lifestyle, at least in writing.

In a pivotal section of your story, you describe your relationship with your girlfriend and eventual fiancee Sarah Miller. One gets the impression that an Amish first date has greater implications that an English one. By how you describe it, it almost seems asking for a first date is a pre-proposal.

But certainly not all Amish marry the first person they date? And how often do relationships end the way yours did?

Ira Wagler: Well, that varies a lot from community to community. In Bloomfield, where I lived at the time, a first date was of course not equated with marriage. But casual dating was also frowned upon, and not done much. So once a couple had that first date, that meant that the chances of them getting married were certainly greater than not getting married.

Some dating relationships fell through, here and there. That’s inevitable, in the normal course of life. But to proceed to the point we did, where we were engaged, then have that break off, that’s a bit rare in any Amish setting. Not unheard of, by any means. But rare.

Your buddies, the “gang of six”, figure prominently in the book. What is social life like for an Amish youth? And what’s become of the gang today?

ira wagler coyote hunt
Two of the gang. Ira and Marvin Yutzy following a successful coyote hunt

Ira Wagler: Again, social life varies greatly from community to community. In Bloomfield, the “gang of six” forged its own way, as the settlement was so young, and there had been no wild youth before us.

Of the six, only one remains Amish. Mervin is a preacher today in Bloomfield. Of the remaining five, I guess two would retain some semblance of plainness. That leaves three of us who are completely “English.”

Throughout the book you are critical but also appreciative of Amish life. You’re clear, however, that it’s not for you (some of your final words in Growing Up Amish: “I would never dream of returning”).

But in your opinion what are those strong sides of Amish society?

Ira Wagler: I would boil it down to three things, although of course there are many other factors. Family. Faith. And work ethic.

I can’t stress enough the work ethic, because it affects all else. Amish children are taught to work from almost the time they can walk. Little simple chores. And they get more responsibility as they grow. They learn to work hard, earn their bread by the sweat of their brows, and know no other way.

That’s the primary thing society has lost, at least western society. Work. Pull your own weight. Expect nothing you haven’t earned. Help those who can’t work with your free will offerings. It’s a real shame that so much of that has been lost in the outside world.

And weak sides?

Ira Wagler: The stifling legalism so prevalent in some form in all Amish communities. The Amish use the bann and shunning, because absent that, the culture could not survive. It’s a survival mechanism that has emerged and solidified over the course of many generations. I don’t fault them for it, necessarily. It is what it is. But, over time, that survival mechanism has caused a lot of deep pain and trauma for a lot of people.

ira wagler friends running around
Running around in Bloomfield, early to mid-1980s

If you had somehow remained Amish, where would you be today?

Ira Wagler: Two possible scenarios. I would have believed in and held on to the Amish way in my heart, and would have risen to a position of influence and leadership (perhaps as my father did, by writing). Or I would have gone insane. Probably the latter, in all honesty.

And why aren’t you driving a horse-and-buggy today?

Ira Wagler: Hmm. Well, that’s a pretty open-ended question. For a detailed answer, I guess you’ll have to read the book.

What do you write about on your blog, and where do we find it?

Ira Wagler: My blog is my release valve. I write about anything and everything that happens to be on my mind. Or going on around me. Right now, I’m posting rather sporadically, what with my book coming out and all. You can always find me at www.irawagler.com

What is your next book going to be about?

Ira Wagler: So far there have been no discussions with anyone about the next book. Whether there is even a second book will depend on the sales of the first. That’s the market. And that’s life. I hope to be published again, of course. What writer wouldn’t? In the meantime, though, I will always post my musings on my blog.

Order Growing Up Amish at Amazon.

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    179 Comments

    1. John Gingerich

      Hello, I would like to be entered into the contest! I’ve met Ira’s father a few times, and would look forward to reading the book. John

    2. Love to win!

      I would love a chance to win and read these books! 🙂
      thank you so much!

      Kindly,
      Katy

    3. Thank’s for letting us the chance to discover the story of this man! I would love to enter in this contest, and I will share it on facebook and on my blog! Thank’s again,
      Caroline.

    4. Bonnie Calkins

      Growing Up Amish

      I would love to win this book!

    5. I would love to be entered for this contest! Thank you!

    6. Theresa

      I would really enjoy reading this book. Please enter me in the contest. Thank you.

    7. Lindsay

      I enjoy Ira’s blog, even if we’re at oppposite ends of the spectrum on many issues. I bet I would enjoy his book just as much!

    8. Gary Sloan

      Sounds like a wonderful read, please enter me in the drawing.

    9. Robert Gschwind

      Sounds good

      Always on the lookout for first hand experiences. I would greatly enjoy having one of theses book.

    10. Marilyn in New York

      Primitive Christianity

      Please enter me for the book. I would really enjoy reading it.
      Thank you,
      Marilyn

    11. Wendy

      wfnren

      I love reading books about the Amish way of life. I’ve seen this book and look forward to reading it.

    12. Osiah Horst

      Another Must Have book!

      I am either going to have to quit reading this blog or win the lottery or something! I will need a copy of this book – if I can’t win one I will have to buy one! I visited in the David Wagler home at Aylmer in about 1968 as a teenager. One of the Wagler boys drove me out to the highway where I startd out hitchiking home to the Waterloo County area. I did not have much luck that day until the driver for a load of Aylmer Amish young people (including some of the Wagler family) stopped and invited me to pile into the back seat with them. This was in the days before seat belt laws so ome more person in the back was okay. The Amish youth were heading to my home area to visit Old Order Mennonite youth for the weekend. My father was an Old Order Mennonite writer and historian so the David Wagler name was well known in our home. So, yes, please enter me in the draw.

    13. Karen Schulz

      I am fascinated with Amish culture. I am unemployed so purchasing books is out of the question, and my state libraries don’t have your books. So frustrating! Winning these books would be a major blessing in my life. Thanks for the opportunity!!

    14. Alice Aber

      Count me in!!

      Greetings!!

      Very interesting interview!! I would love to win the book and have the opportunity to read more about Ira’s life and especially about his leaving the Amish and why? Too often we hear the one side of the story but not the other. This would give a great perspective to both sides.

      Thanks for the article and the book give away!

      Blessings, Alice
      ps. I will link this on my facebook as well as write about it on my blog today. 🙂

    15. Nicole Z. Harrison

      fascinated by the Amish...

      I have always been fascinated by the Amish, everything about them, the good & the bad. I fell into reading, at first, many of the fiction stories by all the popular authors, then I began in on the true life stories, like from Ervin Stutzman…I would so LOVE to have & read about your true life experineces if I win your book; if not, I will still buy it. Peace be with u now & always to come!

    16. Felicia Aaron

      Well as we all are here that read your fabulous blog, I am happy for the opportunity to read another find about the precioius Amish. An insiders view to satisfy an outsiders curiousity!! Thanks as always!

    17. Sharon Lantz Shirk

      Would love to win this book

      Have read the book and would love to win one. My first copy was given away to a curious guest here at our bed and brekfast who then wanted her own autographed copy which happed at your COSTCO book signing.

    18. Naomi

      I would love to win a copy of Ira’s book! I have been reading his blog since learning about it via Amish America about a year ago.

    19. Richard

      Looks like an interesting story to tell

      Ive been on Ira Waglers web site at one time, and he does have an interesting story to tell. Looks like another fun contest!. Richard from http://www.Amishstorys.com

    20. sharon cawley

      Wonderful Gut!

      This is going to be a wonderful find, whether I win or go buy it, I need to read it. I have Amish friends both old order and not and have often dreamed of being an Amish woman, after I read this book maybe it’ll kick that notion right outta me! Thanks for offering it!

    21. Rita

      Would like to win the book..........

      Fascinating interview – I’l love to win this book (just like everyone else on here)!

    22. Lisa Cregan

      Ira Wagler on Growing Up Amish

      Would love to win and read this book but if not I will buy it anyway. The interview was very interesting and I am looking forward to reading the book.

    23. Dawn S.

      Looks like a wonderful book!

      Hi, I would love to be entered into the drawing! Thanks and have a blessed day!

    24. Wanna Win!!!

      If I posted twice, I’m sorry. Don’t know what happened to my first comment. Maybe I got too greedy and went to my blog without clicking on “Submit Comment.” Anyway, this sounds like a great book!

    25. Alecia

      Ira Wagler 6-book giveaway

      I have followed Ira’s blog for sometime and just knew he had a book inside of him. I would love to be entered into the book giveaway and win one of his books. Congratulations Ira!!!!!!

    26. Gayle Scheel

      Pick Me, Pick Me!

      So excited to get the opportunity to win this book! I am fascinated with learning about the Amish! Hope I can win it before I buy it! 🙂

    27. Adrian

      His is a very fascinating story. I look forward to reading his book.

    28. Rachael Knackmus

      Another must have book!

      I have recently started reading about the Amish. I am always on the hunt for ANY books to feed my fascination!

    29. Matthew

      Hi Erik,

      Please enter me into the contest. This book – like all the other ones I haven’t won, looks like an interesting read. Its tempting to get a facebook account to get more entries, but I’ll need to restrain myself and skip :-).

      Matthew

    30. Liz Smith

      Contest Entry!

      Please enter me in the contest. thank you!

      Liz Smith

    31. Ronnie & Ina Yoder

      Please enter us also for the give away….& we also will buy it if we don’t win the give away…hope it comes on the Kindle…

    32. Linda Truman

      Growing Up Amish

      Best way to learn about the Amish way of life – is to learn from someone who has walked that path…
      Looking forward to reading this book.

    33. Karen Gervais

      This will be a great book to read. Please enter my name in the contest. Going on Facebook now to share this. Thanks for the opportunity.

    34. Loretta

      More info into the lives of Amish

      I have been learning about Amish for the past 15 yrs and visited man of their settlements. I would love a chance to win Ira’s book. It would surely have many, many pcs of info I have not heard about.Part of what intrigues the English about the Amish is how they stay as true to their beliefs as they can when the world continues to close around them.

    35. Tamara

      Hi Erik. Great interview. I’ve already purchased and read the book, so no need to enter my name. I thought that overall Ira was very cautious and respectful toward the people mentioned in his book, so it’s not surprising that he’s on good terms with them still. He mostly described his problems with the Amish life more in terms of his own perceptions, taking full responsibility for not being able to mold into that lifestyle. His internal battle was heartbreaking. The writing style is nearly poetic – a muscial rhythm. Makes it hard to put down. If I were going to suggest another book for him to author, it would be Amish Memories. If he could just think back and record various memories (like the visitors and the peach soup), it would make a fascinating read. It would at least be a hit with the Amish America fans! If not, maybe he could do that on his blog.

      1. Tamara, great idea. Hope Ira is listening 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed the interview. I agree with your description of the book. Hard to put down.

    36. Kimberlee

      Davis Co. Iowa

      I live on the Appanoose/Davis County line in Iowa (about 18 miles from Bloomfield). The Amish Communities in this area have been a part of my life since moving to this area about 22 years ago.
      I would love a chance to win Ira’s book. I have read other accounts of Amish leaving their communities, and this would be awesome to read of someone so close to “home”.
      Thank you for this opportunity.

    37. jackie

      I would love to win this book please enter me in the contest.

    38. Nancy

      contest

      OMGosh i would love to win! I heard you on Amish Wisdom and you were so very interesting. Pick Me!!!

    39. Donelle Underwood

      Thank you for the opportunity to win! The interview was very interesting and I would love to hear more. Congrats to Ira on being published!

    40. Loretta

      Ira Wagler

      I’m sure I would love this book because I always enjoy autobiographies more than fiction. So enter my name, also, please.

    41. ellen nugent

      i live in england and get my amish books sent from usa ,,,i love to read them,so i would love one of your books thankyou

    42. Would love to read this book. Please throw my name in the hat!

    43. Amber Horton

      Can't wait to read this book!!!!

      I would love to win this book.

    44. Carla P

      Growing up Amish : 6- book giveaway

      WOW this is so exciting ! i have been doing a lot of research on the Amish and AnaBaptist this past few months ! there is a Mennoite community not far from where i live and i am comparing them . I really want to go and see the Farms . i love the simple lifestyle and the fact that they LIVE OFF OF THE LAND THE WAY GOD INTENDED ! i really hope i win your book so i can read it !

    45. Jane Reeves

      I really enjoyed reading the interview. I would love to win the book to read more. Thanks for the opportunity.

    46. Leo

      Interesting interview. I have read Ira’s blog; he has a gift for writing and I really enjoy his sense of humor. Please enter me in the book giveaway.

    47. Pat Quigley

      Growing Up Amish

      I’d like to be included in a chance for this giveaway as well. Love learning about the Amish! I’ll post to facebook as well.

    48. Helen Farrar

      What a wonderful idea!

      What a great way to share this publication (both as a winner) but also to let people know about it! As a student studying the Amish and ordering numerous items from Amazon.com, this series of books popped as as an Amazon recommendation six months before publication, thought the author might be interested to know that!

    49. Michele

      WOW

      Great interview. I would love to be entered to win. thanks and blessings