Becoming Amish: A family's search for faith, community and purpose - Jeff Smith

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Book description:

By Jeff Smith
Published by Dance Hall Press

The true story of Bill and Tricia Moser, who were living in one of America's wealthiest communities, Grosse Pointe, Michigan, when they stepped away and began a journey that led to an Amish horse-and-buggy life, immersed in Amish grace.

No more BMWs. No more architectural career for him or medical career for her. Instead, the Mosers drew close with their children, built pallets for money, wore homemade clothes, and bonded with people of their Amish faith and community. Bill grew the Amish beard. Tricia wore the Amish bonnet. The family dressed as Amish dress.

Here, in Becoming Amish, the Mosers offer a modern couple's honest perspective on that separate and seemingly cloistered world, a perspective that is uniquely insider and outsider at the same time. This perspective is rare among Amish books and Amish ebooks.

The Mosers' journey is rich and fascinating all on its own as we learn about Amish origins, the inner workings of the Amish faith, ways and culture--what Amish church services are like, how Amish businesses succeed at such a high rate, how the the Amish are so remarkably connected on a human scale (without Facebook!), how they balance technology in their lives, and more.

But though the couple's decision can seem extreme, it can also serve as a mirror that helps us reflect upon our own choices, our own beliefs and values. If we were to be as intentional about our lives, how would we realign our choices big and small to achieve a fulfilling life?

Becoming Amish rounds out the Mosers' tale with interviews, vignettes, and information that adds context, perspective and insight into the Amish faith and culture. The reader learns of a startlingly violent book--published in 1660--that is central to this pacifist people's belief and is in nearly every Amish home. The reader visits a "plain" community in the hills of Kentucky--a community that lives even more simply than most Amish--to discuss "the whys" of a low-technology life and faith. The reader is taken to an Amish wedding, learns how Amish romance is conducted. The reader contemplates an interview with the Lutheran minister who helped lead the Supreme Court case back in 1972 that allowed the Amish to pull their children from public school after 8th grade--what compelled him to do that?

The Mosers' journey is a tale that deserves to live on, a rich and provocative version of the American dream.

To visit the author's web page, click here.

Retail price: $17.99
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Dance Hall Press, LLC; 1 edition (June 7, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 099737330X
ISBN-13: 978-0997373301
Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.6 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces