Rumspringa: To Be or Not to Be Amish
by Tom Shachtman
Category: Social Science

An analysis of Amish youth culture profiles the coming-of-age ritual known as the rumspringa, during which sixteen-year-old Amish adolescents are permitted to venture outside of the bounds of their faith, experiment with alcohol and smoking, wear trendy clothes, and ultimately decide if they want to remain detached from the outside world. Reprint.