Judy Stavisky on In Plain View: The Daily Lives of Amish Women (Book Giveaway)
For years now, Judy Stavisky has been driving and accompanying Amish women on shopping trips, building friendships with them and learning firsthand about their lives. Judy has compiled her experiences and insights in a new book called In Plain View: The Daily Lives of Amish Women. Here’s the description via Herald Press:
What does the life of an Amish woman really look like? Over the course of a decade, author Judy Stavisky, a curious outsider, spent hundreds of hours getting to know the women of Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County Amish community to find out the answer to this question. She joined mothers and grandmothers, unmarried women and teens, on their shopping excursions for household items, fabric, and groceries. They drove miles between undulating fields and shared hundreds of hours of conversation on everyday topics—laughing together about sneaking healthier entrees into their family’s evening meals, sharing concerns about their children, and trading family remedies for persistent coughs. As relationships evolved into enduring friendships, she grew to understand firsthand how Amish women bind their families and communities together.
In Plain View draws the reader inside a community governed by faith and separated by time, taking a closer look at the roles Amish women assume within their families and community, their fierce work ethic, and their camaraderie. Hundreds of years of shared traditions comes to life through a personal connection with Amish women, their own soft voices gently opening their world to an outsider.
Today Judy answers some questions for us on her experience with Amish women and on the book. I had a chance to read an advance copy several months ago and really enjoyed it.
Enter to win a copy of In Plain View
Along with today’s Q&A you can enter for a chance to win a copy of In Plain View. Simply leave a comment or question on this post. I’ll announce the winner here next week.
Judy Stavisky, MPH, M. Ed., has spent considerable time over the past decade attending Amish schools, sharing meals with Amish families, and joining events hosted in the Amish community. Judy has a lengthy career in philanthropy and helping non-profit organizations become more successful. She is a co-author of Do It Better! How the Kids of St. Francis de Sales Exceeded Everyone’s Expectations chronicling the journeys of Philadelphia’s student refugees. Recently Judy has been supporting Philadelphia’s refugee resettlement efforts, connecting food insecure Philadelphians with meals, and has served as part of the faculty at Arcadia and Drexel University.
Judy Stavisky on In Plain View: The Daily Lives of Amish Women
Amish America: How did you come to know the Amish, and where did the idea for this book come from?
Judy Stavisky: I moved to Philadelphia from Allentown about 40 years ago. During my grocery shopping trips to Reading Terminal Market (the city’s historic indoor Farmers Market), I observed Amish provisioners from afar. I was fascinated by Amish dress, the immaculate hair styles, and their diligence.
Frequently on weekends, my husband and I loaded our bicycles onto our car and headed to Lancaster County, a little over an hour from our home. While on our bikes, we spent hours meandering through Amish settlements, often stopping for fresh-dug potatoes and spring onions or chewy scratch-baked cookies sold at roadside stands. Silently riding by unadorned white farmhouses, the wind blowing through laundry lines of earth-colored aprons left me even more curious.
I purchased a book about the Amish each time we visited Lancaster County. Over the years, I collected scores of books. Many of them were written by Donald Kraybill, an international expert on the Amish who was then a professor at Elizabethtown College, now Emeritus.
Learning that Elizabethtown College was two hours by train from my home and only 1.5 miles from the E-town Amtrak station, I reached out to Dr. Kraybill and asked him if I might take one of his evening Amish classes. He agreed. An idyllic train ride from Philadelphia to Elizabethtown and a fascinating weekly course made my weekly commute a pure joy!
Where did you do your research and what did that look like?
Dr. Kraybill introduced me to several Amish families in an effort to assist him in updating his seminal book on the Amish, The Riddle of Amish Culture. Dr. Kraybill offered Amish women a free driver (me) to run errands with them in exchange for informal talk time with Amish shoppers.
I drove about two dozen Amish mothers and grandmothers, sisters and aunts to a myriad of grocers, dry goods and hardware stores, appliance and repair shops and health providers. While Dr. Kraybill’s competing obligations ultimately did not allow him time to update his book, he continued encouraging me – write up your visits and keep refining your notes. After over 100 visits, I had collected quite a bit of information!
What do outsiders get wrong about Amish women?
The relationship between men and women.
“There are lots of things written about us that are not true,” an Amish mother said wistfully.
Because the Amish dress similarly, those of us that live outside of their community assume that they are the same. That idea could not be further from the truth. Like the English, there are shy Amish women and those who are comfortable in most settings. I met Amish women with a bright sense of humor and those who are more staid and reserved. A number of the women I met remarked, “we are just people like you,” aware that some English tend to paint the Amish with one brush.
I also noticed how the Amish men I met, respect and appreciate their wives’ abilities at maintaining bountiful gardens, preserving mountains of produce on blisteringly hot days, and handily tailoring pants, dresses, shirts, and night clothes for every family member. Preparing meals for families of nine or 10 along with 100-plus person church and youth gatherings requires stamina and finely honed organizational skills.
Amish life excludes modern conveniences like microwave ovens or electric toasters, dishwashers, and clothes dryers. Busy before dawn and through the evening, Amish women launder piles of soiled clothes in a wringer washer, clip each piece of wet clothing to outside clotheslines (even in frigid weather), tend to multiple young children and their chores, and confidently negotiate a thousand-pound horse and buggy. When farm work requires her strong arms, Amish women work as equal partners, side by side with her husband and children. I stand in awe of Amish women.
What kind of Amish stores did/do you visit with your Amish friends? Any memorable or unusual ones?
“It is a little more difficult to comparison shop with a horse and buggy,” stated an Amish mother of seven.
Dry goods stores filled with bolts of dark fabrics, sewing notions, toys, housewares, Amish romance novels and cookbooks remain popular destinations for Amish women.
However, a few unusual shops remain hidden from public view without any discernable signage. I visited a shop that sells huge containers of honey and groats that Amish women will grind into flour. Down a long dirt road, a round Amish man fixes Amish school copier machines (operated by battery). Behind a winding gravel path in a well-trafficked tourist area, a non-descript shop offers custom made Amish hats (below).
How is an “Amish” shopping trip different from an “English” shopping trip?
“We don’t run out to the store for a missing ingredient,” one of my Amish passengers confirmed.
Rarely a spur-of the-moment decision, shopping trips for Amish women requires multiple lists and astute planning, with the goal of minimizing time spent away from home.
One Amish store posts lost shopping lists on their bulletin board. One reads: “Sweater for Rachael, good socks for Dad and hairpins for Hannah.” Another list includes: “German song books, fabric ripper, black shoe polish, stockings and handkerchiefs for Ruth and dishpans for Naomi.”
Knowing the limitations on an Amish mother’s time, Amish owned grocery stores offer crafts supplies for handmade greeting cards, a favored children’s pastime, along with rows of herbal tinctures and tonics.
A farm supply establishment separates their refrigerated food section from building materials, plumbing supplies, and work boots with heavy plastic sheeting. One would never know from the faded outside road sign, that inside the store’s discrete refrigerated section, lies tubs of ice-cold lard, cartons of eggs, and packages of frozen ground chuck.
Shopping at Amish owned stores also offers Amish women the opportunity of exchanging news with seldom-seen friends. Updates on out-of-town weddings or a church member’s health status helps stitch the community closely together. This quilt of interconnectedness – neighbors caring about one another, extending kindness and strength to others, lies at the heart of the Amish community. My visits over 10 years offered me a privileged glimpse into lives that revolves around family, faith and community. In Plain View provides a respectful account of my experiences with several Amish women over many years. Their identities and personal characteristics have been changed to protect their privacy and in deference to Amish modesty and humility.
A big thanks to Judy for her insights. In Plain View is available via outlets including bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.
I live in Maine and there are 3 communities close by to me.
Soon the Amish Community Market will be opening down after it was leveled. The outpouring of help was just wonderful and true to their faith and commitment to rebuild – in a very timely manner – the new Community Market reopens on September 23rd.
I do read quite a bit of Amish fiction.
And to have a first hand account from one who drives the ladies around, I am really looking forward to reading this book.
Thank you so much!
Dawn aka Sunny
I’m curious
Being curious about our world and everything in it, how would an Amish woman like me be content with an 8th grade education?
I'm curious
Maureen – providing children with an Amish education offers them the skills and foundations essential to being part of the Amish community. Education that leads to the professions is not a part of Amish life. As one teacher recounted to me,”I have never had a scholar (Amish term for school children) who expressed a desire for higher education.”
Very interesting
I have lived in Lebanon County, Pa. for 9 years and before that Lancaster County, Pa. for 8 years. I am humbled and amazed by the lifestyles of the Amish and Mennonites living around me.
Interesting read
Enjoyed reading the excerpts – would love to read the rest of the book!
Amish
We gave a fairly recent community here in the U.P.of Michigan. I had several meetings and attend fundraisers with other Amish about 90 miles away. Such nice folks, great food and fellowship.
Question for Judy
After observing and making personal relationships with the Amish women, would you join their faith?
Question for Judy
A wise Amish friend said “we can each learn thngs from each other,” and that is where I land. The close families and sense of belonging to a community are enviable. At the same time, I am not sure I have the wherewithal to be a full participant in Amish life.
Interesting
The excerpts sound interesting. It sounds like she made an effort to really get to know the women and not just make assumptions like so many English do.
Thank you, Judy
This sounds like a very interesting book. Thank you for writing it, Judy. Such a wonderful opportunity you had to spend time with and get to know the Amish.
Plain View
The little bit printed really sounds like a book I’d love to read. I have many Amish themed books but I’m always on the lookout for more. Will it be available for sale so I could send for it? I’m a widow and I don’t visit Amish towns or stores now my husband is gone.
Plain View
Thanks for writing, Joanne. If you have a local or regional book store,call them and ask to order a book. They will be happy to search for the book in their catalogue and send a book to you.
Amish Women and Organization
Amish women are very organized, and do not waste a minute of their day. There is no frivolous spending and every purchase is a needed item. It would be interesting to follow an Amish woman for even one day to watch how a hard working, organized woman appreciates every thing in her life.
Amish Women and Organization
Barbara – “No frivolous spending” is an apt description. Amish children understood that message clearly. When in a dry goods store with tempting toys, the children would simply point to colorful games, puzzles and stuffed animals. Typically, a mom’s response would be “not this time.” That was the end of the discussion. On the other hand, I found myself purchasing a little here and a little there!
Book Giveaway
Dying to win this book!!! I have been following your emails for sooo long and now YouTube!!
What did these women say when you told them you were writing a book of the relationship that you shared for a decade?
In Plain View
Loretta – I had a handful of Amish women (and one man) read chapters for accuracy and content. Some women were delighted receiving the book, a few deferred. Amish women are very busy!
In Plain View: The Daily Lives of Amish Women (Book Giveaway)
Loretta- from the first introductory letters, the women were informed that our shopping trips were part of an effort to learn more about their purchases for a book.
Would love to read this.
I just love reading about the Amish in every aspect. Never tiring! I live near many Anish and Mennonite in Arthur, IL. They are so interesting and friendly.
Thanks, Kim Albert
Wow this book would answer so many questions
I have visited a few Amish communities. But they are commerlized so you see very little. I HAVE READ AND AM CONSANTLY READING BOOKS ON THE AMISH. i HAVE LEARNED A LOT FROM WHAT I HAVE READ BUT BELIEVE THERE IS SO MUCH MORE TO LEARN THAT YOUR BOOK COVERS. I BELIEVE WE ARE COMING TO A TIME WHERE WE ALL NEED TO BE ABLE TO SURVIVE LIVING LIKE THE AMISH.
I AM 76 LOSING MY SIGHT AND TRYING HARD TO LEARN EASY WAYS NOT DEPENDENT ON MODERN CONVIENCES. i WANT TO REMAIN INDEPENDENT. i THINK YOUR BOOK COULD
TEACH ME MANY OF THESE THINGS. NO, I WON’T BE DRIVING A HORSE AND BUGGY. BUT I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO DO BETTER WITH MY TIME SO I CAN HAVE PRODUCTIVE DAYS.
I USED TO CAN WITH MY MOTHER AND WOULD LOVE TO RESUME THAT. DUE TO MEDICAL ISSUES THERE’S THINGS I CANNOT DO YET, THE AMISH HAVE THESE ISSUES AND SEEM TO WORK AROUND THEM .
PLEASE EXCUSE ALL ERRORS I AM FUNCTIONALLY BLIND WITH TREMORS THAT MAKES IT HARD FOR ME TO TYPE OR READ WHAT I HAVE TYPED. I CAN READ BOOKS UNDER MY SPECIAL LIGHT HOWEVER. IF I DON’T WIN CAN I BUY YOUR BOOK PKLEASE PROVICE INFO FOR DOING SO. THANKS AND GOD BLESS YOU.
Wow, this book would answer so many questions
Selma, thanks for taking the time to write. I would encourage you to contact your local book shop and ask them to order the book from Herald Press.
Mrs
I love reading about the Amish and Mennonites. I still get excited seeing an Amish buggy or home. When at a farmer’s market i try to always buy a little something from an Amish stand just for the bit of interaction. We have Amish families less than 2 miles from us. I love the courage they have to keep living as they do with so much chaos and pressure these days to remain to their faith n families. Wish the world could learn from them.
Wonderful!
I love reading about the Amish and have all my life.I had an Amish penpal many years ago and still have the recipes she shared with me.I would love to add this interesting book to my collection.
Common experience
I recently moved from Paradise ,Pa. to Nicaragua . Lived there 3 1/2 yrs and began driving Amish almost immediately . I have also many insights into the culture . I definitely want to read this book as I so miss the people with whom I spent those years with and have constant thoughts about wanting to be back there . Lord willing , that will happen one day . I got to share the love of Jesus and scripture with them often and even had a few Bible Studies with one family who trust in Jesus and not their traditions .Anyway , thank you for this opportunity to win this book as I am often in the states visiting family .
Wonderful
I really look forward to reading the entire book. I was a teenager when the first Amish community was established in my rural Wisconsin county. Now there are 3 different church districts in the county and one is only 10 miles from my old home. I really enjoy reading and learning more about this religious group.
Love Their Simplicity
My mother grew up in Lancaster and I have always had a love for that area of the country and especially the Amish and Mennonites. I visit as often as I can and in May of this year, I attended a Mennonite church service and was invited to a members home for the noon meal. There were about 20 of us and I was the only non-Mennonite. It was the experience of a lifetime and I really enjoyed my time with them. They invited me to come back and bring my husband which I will do.
My mom and I go to Lancaster county each year. We love shopping in both the English and Amish Stores there. We have found some good stores on the back roads of our travels. We went into a hardware store and there was a small grocery store in the back. The prices were good. I also have an Amish pen pal who owns a quilt store.
Amish Women
I love to learn about the Amish and their life style. Would love to be able to read the book.
Daydreams of Amish Women
I sometimes find myself imagining about living in different places, doing different things, and being someone different. I am curious to know if Amish women do the same. Do they sit on their porches or hang the wash and daydream? If so, what about? I do believe it’s human nature to daydream to a certain extent. I just wonder what theirs are about.
Day dreams of Amish women
Jennifer – while I have never discussed daydreaming with Amish women, I suspect that they are mostly focused on the task at hand and the next task that follows after the first is completed.
Oooh I’d love to read this!
Progressive & Old Order
I had lived outside of Philly for over two decades and shopped many Amish Markets, frequently visiting the Lancaster County area.
Having now settled near Ethridge Tn. I find myself missing the character of the Farmers markets if the north! Where here, one must seek out specific farms for soaps, eggs, saddlery etc.
I am curious as to how these remarkably organized women farm and provide.
Book looks wonderful
So excited to read this book. I have visited Amish communities in PA many years back and I attended college in a VA town (Harrisonburg) with a large Mennonite community. I have been interested in their beliefs and culture ever since. I am and always will be amazed at their strong faith, which includes their ability to forgive so quickly & sincerely.
times
Judy, I read Amish fiction books by several different authors. Some of the female Amish characters work outside the home, others have small home businesses. Is it becoming more acceptible in various parts of our country where Amish have their communities for Amish women to be more involved with businesses outside the home, or do most prefer to be in the home? I do know that this also depends on the interpretation of the Ordnung by the various Church districts, but what are the feelings of today’s Amish women?
times
Lisa – choices often depend on individual circumstances. A couple of women host English guests for group meals, another operated a craft and quilt shop attached to the family’s home. One never married woman worked part-time as a receptionist in an Amish owned store. Another single woman worked part-time at a farmers market.
Would love to read this book!!
I would love to read this book! I love reading and learning about the Amish. We go to holmes county a few times each year and enjoy it so much!
Book give away
I am so looking forward to reading Judy’s book .Being I am a senior on a very limited income and a retired farmer I would appreciate winning this book !!! I read this site all the time.I really enjoy learning and appreciating the Amish woman and men.
Arlene Shako
Plain View: The Daily Lives of Amish Women
This book sounds very interesting. We live near Daviess County, Indiana, and know several Amish in the area. We have purchased items from them, met their families visited with them, and more. I would like to read this book and learn the similarities and differences between those Amish and the Amish in Southern Indiana.
I have been visiting Amish settlements my entire life. Visiting gives me such a sense of peace and quiet. We often stay in places that overlook Amish farms. We have had dinner in several Amish homes, gone on horse and buggy rides with Amish guides and have spent time with people that grew up Amish but joined a Mennonite church. I have gone on so many tours and read so many books. I would love to win your book!
Looking forward to the book
Sounds like a very interesting book, I’m going to look for it locally. I used to visit Lancaster county several times a year. I haven’t done any traveling recently though due to many demands on my time for family health issues. I miss visiting the area and I’d like to use the book as a ‘virtual’ vacation until I can get back to traveling again.
Anxiously awaiting the new book…….
I have been interested in the Amish for decades and look forward to delving into your book. It sounds as if you paid the “emotional rent” and REALLY got to know some of them personally. What a privilege!
Looks like a good book!
This sounds like a very interesting book and written from a great perspective.
I had previously read about the book and it is on my list to read, I am looking forward to it.
I love visiting Lancaster County, was just there this past week.
In Plain View
Sounds interesting and informative
Preserving Ancient Knowledge
Dear Mrs. Stavisky,
I am so appreciative of your time and dedication in creating this ethnographic study of Amish women. In my opinion, these women are incredible individuals who demonstrate the beauty of a plain life. The ingenuity and dedication of Amish women in their daily care of their families should not be underestimated. I have long wanted to know more of their inner thoughts to learn more about how they successfully manage their households without the modern trappings so many of us depend on.
Thank you,
Mrs. Zepka
36 year friendship
This book looks so interesting!!!
I became friends with an Old Order Amish woman 36 years ago when my daughter was a baby.
At that time she had a small shop in the front of her home. She is now 87 years old.
We live in NC and she lives in Lancaster County Pa.
She has never married so I feel like she was more open to a friendship.
We visit almost yearly and take her to visit family when we are in town.
I very rarely call her accept when we have a visit planned.
She recently called me after our last visit, which she had never done.
She was excited to tell me some family news.I think letter writing has become harder for her.
I thanked her for our last visit and she told me that she was the one that was grateful for our friendship over the years.
Meeting her family and friends has shown me the kind and genuine nature of these people!!!
I have been the lucky one!!!
Judy’s book-a question
My dad had a hunting camp In Sherman, Chautaqua County, NY. Our neighbor was a member of the Clymer Amish, who are less strict than the Amish in nearby Mayville.
How do stricter Amish communities look at the more permissive Amish communities? Is there any friction between them? Do members of a stricter community jump the fence to join a more permissive one? Are these members shunned by their original communities, and forbidden to contact family and friends, or are they still regarded as Amish and not shunned?
I never thought to ask our neighbor, Andy Byler, about this.
Book giveaway . . .
Sure hope it’s not too late to enter the drawing? Sounds like a
fascinating read. Thanks to Judy for writing the book!!
Thanks for the giveaway! I have always been interested in learning and reading about the Amish. I live in the midwest and have been able to visit the Arthur/Arcola community in Illinois and the Bowling Green, MO communities, to name two.
In Plain View book
I would love a chance to win this book. My husband and I moved to mid Michigan 5 years ago and he drives for the Amish. I too admire their work ethic, family life and their faith. So happy we moved here.
Fascinating
I’d love to read more about Amish women. I always love reading about their culture.
Judy Stravinsky on "In Plain View: The Daily Lives of Amish Women" Book Giveaway
Having read a number of Amish-Country setting Christian romances over the years, this “inside look” even by excerpt has been very interesting.
Paying attention to detail, the correspondence between her “report” and the research of the various authors is very accurate! Shopping -list disclosure was new and definitely confirms that the Amish ARE like us “English” — variety of personality, basic needs.
Thank you, Judy, for your time, effort, commitment, love!
In Plain View book
This book looks like it will be very interesting and informative. I love reading about the Amish and frequently visit Holmes County,Ohio.
Different
This book would be fun to read. With the different perspective than most of the Amish books, more knowledge would be gained.
A question for Judy
I’m curious as to whether the ladies shopping habits have changed over the years in your area. Do you feel the Old Order Amish have become more dependent on drivers for shopping trips rather than driving a horse and buggy? I’ve seen articles in the Pathway magazines admonishing people for frequently hiring drivers to take them short distances when they could have used a horse and buggy. Or is it just the lure of the big box stores that draw the Amish in like everyone else? I do like shopping at small Amish owned stores when in the area as they have the best basic kitchenware and fabrics. Thank you- I’m hoping to read your book soon!
A question for Judy
Lauren, the Old Order women I met did not rely on drivers for their weekly shopping. Typically, women take their horse and buggy to stores within their community. Drivers can be expensive and given the thriftiness of the Amish, splurging on a driver is typically saved for essential trips – a medical appt far away, a family gathering or wedding in another state. Depending on how long the distance from home to Costco, Amish women might take their horse and buggy to Costco. One Lancaster County Costco provides a hitching rail for the horses. Costco vists must be planned well in advance if using a driver. Amish women often share the cost of a driver with others for a periodic Costco trip.
appreciation
We appreciate our Amish neighbors, both their services, products AND the wonderful examples they set.
I also really appreciate your website and videos very much!
This book
Please put my name in the hat for the book give away, it sounds like a fascinating read!!
The strength the Amish have given me
I live in Scotland in a community.
I have always been fascinated by the Amish and have read many books on them.
They always give me strength and hope in humanity. I look up to the way they live and through what I’ve read I try to learn and live like they do.
I do look forward to reading this new book!
Blessings,
Riina
My Amish community
I am American born, I have always been close to Amish as the offer. My Portuguese born American husband needed to be taught about the Amish, our friend Jacob often brings fresh cheese that his wife makes in Yoder, KS. I live in Mount Hope, KS. We were very surprised once in Mammoth cave to assist a group of Old Order Amish and they were delighted that both my husband and myself speak German. Their ‘english’ driver only spoke English. I hope your book is a wonderful success, yes, they are both like us
I would love to read this book In Plain View, so thanks for the chance of winning a copy!