Our guest contributor today is Suzanne Woods Fisher, author of Life with Lily (linked to my review and giveaway). Suzanne has written extensively and with great respect about the Old Order Amish in both fiction and non-fiction. I had the opportunity to meet her on a recent Pennsylvania book tour and was delighted to find her to be incredibly warm and inviting. After speaking for a few minutes, I had the idea to ask her about sharing something with our readers, and she immediately came up with this fascinating topic. – Trish
“What do the Amish think about my books?” That’s a question that gets tossed at me whenever I’m at a book event and the answer isn’t all that surprising. As a whole, they love the non-fiction, some enjoy the fiction, and others roll their eyes at the idea of anyone writing fiction about them. “We’re not all that interesting,” an Amish friend told me.
She may not think so, but millions of Americans disagree. The sub-genre of Amish fiction is one of the fastest growing niches in the inspirational fiction market. In a recent article, Salon writes that there are currently over 39 writers of Amish fiction.
We like to read about the Amish, but what do they like to read? In fact, do they even read very much?
You might assume that because formal schooling ends at eighth grade for the Amish, an education stops, too. Not so! These people read and read and read. I have never been in an Amish home without floor to ceiling bookshelves, filled with books.
If painting with a broad brush, I’d say that most Amish prefer to read real-life inspirational stories or anecdotes, often with a Christian backdrop. Many of the authors and titles on those shelves are the same ones that might be in your shelves: Max Lucado, Charles Swindoll, Catherine Marshall, Daily Bread, Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
An Amish publishing house, Pathway, publishes three simple, typeset magazines that are quite popular: Family Life, Blackboard Bulletin (for teachers), Young Companion. There are a fair number of other publications and books from Plain publishers: Herald Press, Ridgeway Publishers. Carlisle Printers does brisk business with self-published Plain authors. I’ve had some fascinating conversations with history buffs, including one Amish man who wondered if I had any to recommend about the wild west. “Cowboys and Indians,” he said with a toothy grin. “That’s what I like.”
To mainstream Americans who place a premium on higher education, an Amish education might raise an eyebrow. To our way of thinking, it might seem limited and restrictive. Unmarried young Amish women—without college training—teach in small parochial schools. Amish schools use a limited amount of material in the classroom—they have created their own readers, workbooks, and texts. They stress accuracy rather than speed, drill rather than variety, proper sequence rather than critical thinking skills.
Yet illiteracy is virtually nonexistent in Amish settlements. Without television and computers, they read more than most Americans. They have a remarkable ability to learn new skills—even complicated ones—and value lifelong learning. Amish parents are heavily involved in their children’s education: they donate the land and building supplies for the school, visit regularly, attend school events, and take turns caring for the facilities.
In the book Amish Society, John Hostetler wrote, “On several standardized tests, Amish children performed significantly higher in spelling, word usage, and arithmetic than a sample of pupils in rural public schools. They scored slightly above the national norm in these subjects in spite of small libraries, limited equipment, the absence of radio and television, and teachers who lacked college training.”
And here’s a note to end on that will inspire you to turn off the TV and read to your kids: Amish children in the eighth grade gave a more positive rating to their families than did non-Amish children.
Suzanne Woods Fisher is an author of bestselling fiction and non-fiction books about the Old Order Amish for Revell. Learn more about Suzanne, her books, and her weekly radio show by downloading her free app, Amish Wisdom or stop by www.suzannewoodsfisher.com.
We have reviewed several of Suzanne’s books here at 5 Minutes for Books, most recently Life with Lily (click through to enter to win one of three copies of this wonderful novel about a young girl growing up Amish – winners to be announced on October 24).
I can’t say that this question has ever crossed my mind, but it is interesting once you point it out! Thanks for giving me a bit of an answer to a question I didn’t even know I had! 😀
I hadn’t really thought about it myself, but when she mentioned it I was very interested to hear the answer!
That is a question I have thought and have asked. I am not really surprised by the answer. I read all I can about the Amish
This past summer we were visiting with an Amish family while staying in their guesthouse, and we were discussing my enjoyment of Amish fiction. Their soon-to-be-married son asked if I had ever read any of Karen Kingsbury’s books. He said she was a favorite of his fiancee’s and that he had even read one of her books.
They probably think we are interesting like we think they are, just not as much.
Great blog! When I was researching A Promise for Julia (Harvest House), I visited some of those one room schoolhouses in Wisconsin. I’m a 15 year veteran teacher with a master’s degree, and I was so impressed with their schools! Lovely, friendly folks as well.
Good post! Now I will have to ask my Amish friend what she reads.
(I loaned her the book Plain Wisdom because it made me think of our relationship, but other than that, we haven’t talked books much, though I know she enjoyed the Little House books as a girl.)
I guess I never thought about it…there are Amish in my community but I rarely see them at the library.