You won't catch me reading Amish fiction to save my life no matter what the trends are, but I do think the Amish way of living is interesting. Even though I agree with their no television ideas and do not own one myself, you won't see me giving up my hair straightener in the name of no electricity or anything else. That said, I found this book fascinating. In a failing economy (is that an understatement?), the banks who do business with the Amish are thriving. They don't believe in making late payments or borrowing money they can't pay back. They buy food in bulk, cook their own food, grow their own food and gasp, freely share with each other. They barter for much of what they need and shop frequently in 2nd hand stores and each other's homes. This book is filled with humor as the author is not afraid to make fun of her own tendency not to save. It's a journey detailing how she incorporated Amish traditions into her own family and how we can too. It was full of information I didn't know - like I knew movie theater popcorn was bad for you, but did you know it has a 900% markup? 900%!!!
The biggest thing I took from this book though was that experiences are worth more than a dollar anyday. They value taking a walk in the woods with friends, playing Trival Pursuit around a table, sharing a meal and good conversation and spending time together. And that's a lesson we could all do more of without costing penny. Great book!
For Thomas Nelson
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