Why I Left the Amish : : a Memoir

AADL has no copies of this item

Acknowledgments -- Datt's struggle with life -- Frolic -- Do you remember me? -- Funeral circle -- Reckoning with Joe -- In the shadows of the buggies -- Grain by the wayside -- What do you mean by love? -- Wrapping a plan -- Out of the woods -- Into daybreak -- Appendixes: Naming practices among the Amish -- Differences between Amish and Mennonites -- Terms for "outsiders."
Overview: There are two ways to leave the Amish - one is through life and the other through death. When Saloma Miller Furlong's father dies during her first semester at Smith College, she returns to the Amish community she had left twenty four years earlier to attend his funeral. Her journey home prompts a flood of memories. Now a mother with grown children of her own, Furlong recalls her painful childhood in a family defined by her father's mental illness, her brother's brutality, her mother's frustration, and the austere traditions of the Amish - traditions Furlong struggled to accept for years before making the difficult decision to leave the community. In this personal and moving memoir, Furlong traces the genesis of her desire for freedom and education and chronicles her conflicted quest for independence. Eloquently told, Why I Left the Amish is a revealing portrait of life within - and without - this frequently misunderstood community.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

Summary / Annotation
Table of Contents
Author Notes

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Why I Left the Amish submitted by SBNB on July 1, 2012, 5:54pm It's an interesting story, but the writing is rather choppy at times. Overall, it wasn't a waste of time.

smart submitted by torres4 on July 21, 2012, 2:09pm smart decision!

Agree with Above submitted by Kmocean on July 30, 2012, 7:49am Good story, glad it was told!