Okay...a few disclaimers before I dive in. First of all, yes, Levi is on Discovery Channel's Amish Mafia and no, this book is NOT about the show. If you pick it up for that reason, you'll be disappointed. If you pick it up because you want to learn about the Amish and learn some secrets about them, then you've picked up a good one. Second disclaimer...this is the only book I've EVER read about the Amish and I realize it is only one man's view point. I take it at face value and realize there may be some who are angry with this book or think he's lying...take that up with him, not me.
ON WITH THE SHOW...UH I MEAN BOOK!
I found this book utterly fascinating! I've always been fascinated by the Amish as I could never understand how you could live without electricity. I'm from the South and it's hot and humid as hell during the summer. Thank God for air conditioning. I could probably do without the phone because I'm a text me kind of girl and I hate holding the phone up to my ear and all bluetooth devices echo and just all around suck to me...sorry for that rant. Anyway, I've always found them to be fascinating. Levi provides us with a little insight into their faith and their culture.
He begins with a little history on the origins of the Amish and Mennonite. A little word about their similarities and their differences. From there he provides us with some of his own personal background. His father was killed in a tragic accident when he was young. His mother remarried to a widower and the blended family had 15 children. Are you shitting me?! I know for sure now I couldn't be Amish...not that there was a likelihood before but come on...15 kids?! And that shit is normal! My uterus hurts just thinking about it. Then we start getting into the good stuff...
Oh the secrets this man reveals...I wonder if anyone is truly pissed at him or if some are maybe slightly relieved it's out in the open now. Secrets have a way of burdening you, after all. Levi covers so many topics that you've heard about but never really knew too much about. The first one being Rumspringa! It's a period of time, typically between the ages of 16 to 21, where the teens basically find a group they fit in with, and they get into shenanigans. Some are very straight laced and then some are all out wild as hell. There are cars, drinking, parties, bands, and sometimes even drugs. Once Rumspringa is over, you decide if you want to be baptized or not. Levi says it was during Rumspringa that he really started to question the Old Order Amish because of the contradictions he saw. He decided eventually to be baptized in the New Order Amish Church, thus the reason he can drive his black Cadillac and have a cell phone. The things you learn...
He then covers topics such as Shunning...boo on that unless you just want some peace and quiet and no one to talk to you. He also discusses the taboo topic that even normal society doesn't want to talk about...incest and bestiality. He covers them and gives names of folks that have committed such acts. He discusses drinking and buggying...yes a buggying under the influence does exist. The law varies though apparently and some counties say the 'vehicle' must be motorized in order for the charge to be an under the influence charge. He talks about drugs in the Amish community and how it actually from time to time is an issue. The only difference is, the Amish don't publicize their shit. They keep it under wraps which I guess is why I was surprised by some of the stuff I learned in this book, but then again should I really have been surprised? They're human beings who face temptations every day...maybe even more so given their structured and sheltered upbringing. He discusses Sam Mullet who ordered the shaving of men's beards and the cutting of women's hair if they went against him. He was sentenced to 15 years for hate crimes.
He covers something known as claping which is basically some shitty teenagers, usually non-Amish and apparently quite often Mennonites, who throw tiles and rocks at buggies, houses, and mailboxes. Once, some kids threw a tile at a buggy and an infant was killed when it struck the baby in the head. The family of the baby, though, was not angry. If there's anything that can be learned from the Amish, it's forgiveness. On that note, he goes into pretty good detail on the schoolhouse shooting where 5 girls were murdered and multiple others injured. The gunman, who happened to be the milkman, then turned the gun on himself. The parents of those killed and injured showed up at the house of the gunman's mother...not for vengeance but with food and forgiveness. They knew that his family would be struggling just as much as they were. It's amazing to me how quickly they are to forgive. They really and literally do believe in turning the cheek. There's a hard lesson there I think we could all stand to learn.
Levi shares so many secrets about the Amish...some of them not dirty secrets but some of them, I'm sure, people would wish he had left covered. In the end though I just learned that they have their problems like the rest of the nation does. They have their 'bad apples' who commit crimes just like every other subset of the population does. They just keep that shit under wraps and prefer to deal with it within their own community rather than airing their dirty laundry. The Amish are fiercely hardworking individuals who sometimes can be dicks to one another. They rely upon family to take care of them when they're old rather than the Social Security Act...and let's be honest...it's highly doubtful that even my ass will be able to rely upon social security. They're rapidly growing in numbers and honestly they're quite financially well off. They have acres of land that now they couldn't afford and some of them have made millions selling their land to the gas and oil companies. They're really quite intelligent and have a head for business despite only having an 8th grade education. They're instilled with hardworking, God first, and family values that a lot of us are lacking. I know for sure I don't know what hard work really is just as those coming after me will have no idea. After reading this, I really do have to say that I admire the Amish. I may not agree with them on some things and I may scoff at some of the things I view as hypocritical, but they do kind of have their shit together on some levels. And I'm seriously just dumbfounded by their ability to forgive. I wish I could get some of that...
I'm so glad I read this book, and I'm even more happy that it wasn't about the television show. I feel it was a peak behind the curtain that the Amish have kept around themselves. It was interesting and intriguing and I couldn't put the book down. I felt it was more honest and real than anything you may see on the show. And, now more than ever, I wish to go to Lancaster, PA and buy a legitimate Amish quilt...if it's cheap, it's not the real deal, by the way. Thank you, Levi, for this inside view into your culture and faith. I might just have to read up on the Amish a bit more.
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