At last month’s Amish technology conference, I had a chance to meet Cory Anderson, one of the founders of a new publication called the Journal of Amish and Plain Anabaptist Studies (JAPAS). I asked Cory a few questions about JAPAS, which you’ll find below. I have been enjoying the articles in the inaugural issue, which you can access online, for free, here. Amish America: How would…
As mentioned a few weeks ago, food ethnographer William Woys Weaver has written a new book entitled As American as Shoofly Pie: The Foodlore and Fakelore of Pennsylvania Dutch Cuisine. I recently asked Dr. Weaver ten questions about his book, the Pennsylvania Dutch, and their cuisine, which you’ll find below. I found his answers very interesting and I hope you do too. Amish America: Who…
Today we have 3 winners of The Amish, the new book by Donald Kraybill, Karen Johnson-Weiner, and Steven Nolt. You’ll find the contest winners at the bottom of this post. We also have the second part of the author Q-and-A (if you missed it, read Part 1 here). Part 2 below covers general questions on the Amish and is a sample of topics covered and expanded…
Donald Kraybill, Karen Johnson-Weiner and Steven Nolt have written a new comprehensive book on the Amish, simply entitled The Amish. You probably recognize the authors’ names from numerous books including The Riddle of Amish Culture, New York Amish, A History of the Amish, and many more. Over 500 pages in length, this new collaboration covers the Amish from just about every angle, from history and religious practices…
The second coming of Breaking Amish–“Breaking Amish: Brave New World” arrived last night. This season (or “spin-off” as the TLC network has been calling it) has taken the cast and placed them in the Pinecraft neighborhood of Sarasota, Florida. I wasn’t surprised when I heard of the choice, for a couple of reasons: Filming in Pinecraft they can remain in an urban environment, in line with…
Valerie Weaver-Zercher is the author of the newly-released Thrill of the Chaste: The Allure of Amish Romance Novels. Valerie is a writer and editor whose work has been published in the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, Mennonite Weekly Review, and other publications. In examining the topics raised in Thrill of the Chaste over the past few weeks, we’ve looked at Amish fiction readers, authenticity, and how readers choose Amish…
“Are they accurate?” In Thrill of the Chaste, Valerie Weaver-Zercher observes that the question of factual accuracy was the most frequently asked of her during her research. It’s one which, she explains in a late chapter of the book, she was reluctant, for various reasons, to address. She does cover the issue in much depth, though. One quote in support of Amish fiction authors: Many…
Family Life, in print since 1968, is one of the most widely-read Amish publications (circulation for 2010 was a reported 31,000). You won’t find Family Life in all Amish homes, but you will in many, if not a majority of Amish households. One of the most interesting parts of the periodical is a regular feature called “The Problem Corner”. It’s essentially an advice column where…
If you were looking for Amish fiction in, say 2002 or 2004, your choice would have been limited to a handful of selections, most by Beverly Lewis or Wanda Brunstetter. Today, you can have your pick of over 60 authors, and well over 250 titles. In the opening pages of Thrill of the Chaste: The Allure of Amish Romance Novels, Valerie Weaver-Zercher describes the rapid…
Valerie Weaver-Zercher delves into that question in her new book Thrill of the Chaste: The Allure of Amish Romance Novels. Romance is a genre traditionally popular with women, as is Christian inspirational fiction. So it’s no surprise to learn that most readers of Amish fiction books are female. But what about the men? In Thrill of the Chaste, Valerie shares evidence of male interest in Amish…