A Plain Life
Author Scott Savage recalls how he patiently waited for his assigned number to be called at the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles. "B-1!" the agent finally announced, and the humble Quaker stepped forward. "I want my driver's license revoked," Savage calmly explained. The agent slowly smiled as she studied the strange, Amish-looking man before her. Why would he want his licenserevoked?"I could explain that I used to wear a suit and tie and sit in front of computer screen, that I made an hour-long commute to work," writes author Scott Savage (The Plain Reader). "That nowadays I get around by horse and buggy and I like it a lot better." But the reasons run deeper than an aesthetic preference for buggies. It took Savage (who is also the editor ofPlainmagazine) a week to make his pilgrimage across Ohio to reach the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.A Plain Lifechronicles this journey as Savage candidly reveals why he needed to disconnect from the world of "instant mobility." "Losing control over where I can go puts me into a stronger relationship with people where I am--into a relationship of community," he writes. Through flashbacks and reflections, this highly acclaimed writer invites readers into his compelling Quaker community, where he spends his days doing rural chores, fathering a clan of imaginative young children, tending an inspirational marriage, and moving slowly as he follows the Quaker path.--Gail Hudson