that was not previously covered in the documentary and thus, the book can seem repetitive relative to the movie. The book is not academic and Shachtman does not cite specific sources (although he provides a bibliography at the end) and therefore, the book should not be used for research purposes. Additionally, there are quite a number of characters, introduced only by their first name and first letter of their last name, and the book tends to jump from story to story, requiring time to recollect the person and limits the flow of the read. At times, Shachtman introduces his own commentary and thoughts on the subject, which are often superficial and shallow, but to his credit, he never claims to be an authority or expert on the Amish. If you are interested in seriously studying the subject, John Hostetler, Donald Kraybill, and Stephen Nolt have all published academic works that are excellent reading material and very informative. Additionally, a number of Amish defectors have written autobiographical works that give better accounts of growing up Amish and engaging in rumspringa than Shachtman does. However, rather than read 'Rumspringa,' I recommend watching documentary 'Devil's Playground' (2002) produced by his colleagues which deals with the same subject matter, has better flow, and includes most of the people and anecdotes from the book. When they turn 16, children who have been raised among the Old Order Amish experience a curious coming-of-age ritual, the rumspringa--or "running around"--a period during which they are given license to