Growing Up Amish: The Teenage Years (Young Center Books in Anabaptist and Pietist Studies)
In Stevick's engaging narrative, he profiles the religious foundation of the Amish, its history, culture and schooling, the Amish at work and play, the tradition of weekly singing, and dating and courtship.(History Wire)A thorough and in-depth analysis of the formative in-between years when the young Amish generation approaches the lifestyle-determining threshold of adulthood.(Bloomsbury Review)A 'must' for any collection strong in either Amish history and culture or regional American community sociology.(Bookwatch)Many of the author's insights are intriguing... an impressive book.(Peaceful Societies)A 'must' for any collection strong in either Amish history and culture or regional American community sociology.(Midwest Book Review)The author discusses the teenagers' education, teen culture, rumpsringa or 'running around' years, and courtships and weddings... Useful for anyone studying adolescence and cultural identity and adolescence, this work will become an important classic in the field of Amish and Anabaptist studies. Highly recommended.(Choice)A pleasurable read and responsible treatment of an interesting subject. Stevick manages to both dissolve idyllic and naive notions of Amish life and at the same time show respect and grant insight into the reality of it.(James BenedictBrethren Life and Thought)The author deftly interweaves the pressures to conform to the fabric of Amish life, highlighting the roles of religion, school, family and community. The book provides an overview of Amish adolescence and also serves as a more general primer for Amish life.(Mennonite Quarterly Review)So why do so many Amish teens choose to remain within the Amish fold rather than pursue greater freedom outside the community? The answer can be found in Stevick's book.(Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion)Another in a very long line of superbly written, scholarly accounts of Amish life published by the Johns Hopkins University Press... A rigorously researched, well-organized, and clearly written study. Due to rapid population increase, the Amish will be a growing part of the rural scene in twenty-first century America, and for us outsiders to understand them with accuracy and compassion, we need to read, consult, and refer to books likeGrowing Up Amish.(Joseph F. DonnermeyerAgricultural History)