Customer Reviews

Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World

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Suzanne's book caught my eye. Her statement "You don't have to become Amish to make personal peace a reality", really got my attention. Amish Peace is a must read on several different levels. First, if you are curious about the Amish lifestyle, as I am, then this book is for you. As you read this book you feel like you are being transported to a typical Amish community. You feel like you are there as the story unfolds. This book is very easy to read. I find a good time to read is after a busy day, because I feel so relaxed as I am reading it.

Another reason I find the book so enjoyable is because Suzanne takes these principles and relates them to the reader. For example, at the end of every section she writes an area of reflection based on the topic she just wrote about. These are thought provoking statements and questions for the reader to ponder based on your own life. These have really inspired me to look at areas of improvement in my walk with God, as well as my family life.

You will want to read this book over and over. Living in such crazy times, this book gives sound biblical references and is an excellent tool to keep around. I have been referring to it as part of my daily devotions. I hope everyone will purchase this book. It will be a real asset in your Christian walk.

It's not often I want to thank an author for writing a book, but I thank Ms. Fisher for writing Amish Peace.
Really. I've only begun reading the book, starting with the Epilogue, and was so blessed - it absolutely ministered to me as I am learning to take my "sticky fingers" off the things only God can do, and turn away from "my kingdom" so His Kingdom can come.
Then I read the chapter on special children and know that one of the women I bought a copy of the book for, who struggles with having a severely handicapped child, will be touched and blessed and helped when she reads it. It's hard to wait until Christmas to give it to her.
I love the font...the pictures on the covers...mostly I enjoy hearing the authors "voice". Reading the book is like sitting down and having a good chat with her...it's encouraging and uplifting
I highly recommend this book. I find myself wanting to savor it and make it last. The Amish Proverbs that begin each chapter are finding themselves sprinkled throughout my thoughts and words each day, and it's a refreshing perspective.

As someone who has visited thousands of Amish homes in communities from Pennsylvania to Iowa, I can say that Suzanne has done a top-notch job of recreating Amish life on the page. Her vignettes are moving, thought-provoking, and easy-to-digest. A great read.

Erik Wesner, author of Success Made Simple: An Inside Look at Why Amish Businesses Thrive and the Amish America blog ([...])

In early October of 2006 there was a horrific shooting at a one room Amish school house in Nickel Mines Pennsylvania...killing 5 and wounding 5 more young girls. I think most of us probably remember that event. What I have never been able to purge from my mind is the reaction of the Amish families that were directly involved and the Amish community as a whole.

You see, more than half of those that attended the killers funeral were Amish. And as the money and gifts poured in from all over...the Amish included the killer's widow and her children in the distribution of the gifts. How do they forgive like that?

So when I ran across this book, Amish Peace, at the first of the summer...it made the top of my reading list.

What a wonderful book and what unique people. The book explores how the Amish view time, money, community, forgiveness and the sovereignity of God. The author, Suzanne Woods Fisher, spent days with them in order to learn their stories so she could share them with us. The attraction that I now have for the Amish lifestyle is summed up in one word...simplicity.

Why is it so hard to live a simple life?

The Amish personify simple living! Here are a few notes on why/how from the book:

*to only live with the things that they really use...and to treasure them.
*Amish farms have no more than 80 tillable acres...on purpose.
*each church district is kept to roughly 20 to 30 families...on purpose.
*their houses and barns are spartan -like; spacious and uncluttered.
*simple dress and grooming...so not to promote pride or status.
*possessions are guided by function and practicality...not by the latest style or trend.
*money is to help others.
*not less choice...but they choose less.
I encourage you to grab the book...the stories read kind of as a devotional. I am not quite ready to become Amish, but I would love to begin living out some of the Amish ways.

The book is full of Amish proverbs and this one grabbed me..."Live simple, so others may simply live"

An outstanding book, both informational and inspirational. The format is unique in that all chapters are 3 pages or less which makes for better comprehension and faster reading. I believe this is a must reading for people of all ages.

I loved this book! I am going through a lot in my life and this book really calmed me down and let me concentrate on what's important. It was a blessing to me and I plan to share it with others and give this as gifts.

Although it casts the Amish in a little bit of a sentimental view, it is a five star book that is well worth reading, especially if you are looking to simplify your lifestyle. The Amish lifestyle for all it's attractive features is anything but perfect, because it is made up of flawed humans. What makes their beliefs so attractive is the desire from the foundation of the Anabaptist movement, which the Amish are a part of, to find out what God's Word says and do it. They love proverbs and as one Amish Proverb sums it up, "We should not put a question mark, where God has put a period." We need to take Scripture at face value and obey what it tells us to do. This means studying the Scriptures daily so that we may be workman that need not to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth (II Timothy 2:15). As we study, we need to pray for wisdom in understanding the Scriptures and making them practical so we can obey them.

Their sense of community, being there for each other and the English who do not share their beliefs as well, their commitment to obeying Scripture, their emphasis on being in the world, but by their lifestyles showing they are not of it and their swiftness to forgive all make their lifestyle the attractive witness that it is. You do not have to become Amish to work these character qualities into your life. As one Amish man, Uncle Amos says, "If you admire our faith strengthen yours. If you admire our commitment, deepen yours. If you admire our community spirit, develop your own. If you admire the simple life, cut back. If you admire deep character and enduring values, live them yourself."

Clutter, whether it be cluttered schedules or to many processions overwhelms. Learning how to simplify and developing an ever deeper relationship with the Creator, who through his Word, shows us the principles we are to live by, heals us and provides for all our genuine needs, so that we no longer need to use counterfeits for to fill the void.

Another really good book on the Amish is, "Amish Grace." It details the West Nichol Mines shooting of ten Amish girls and the acts of forgiveness that accompanied it. Even though I would love to live of the grid with no electricity, I can't do that. Even so, I can incorporate the Scriptural principles lived out by the Amish into my life.

I am savoring this book. Each night I read one of the short stories and reflect on the questions. It truly has given me much to think about as I pause to consider and am attracted to the lives of the Amish. I have just ordered a bunch to give out as Christmas gifts as the messages are something that everyone can benefit from!

Amish Peace, written by Suzanne Woods Fisher, was spawned by an interest in her grandfather's life. This is a fabulous book about many of the major tenants of Amish culture including simplicity, time and community.

This isn't normally the type of book that I would read, but when I was asked if I was interested, something in me said I needed to read it. I like the Amish/Mennonite "romance" novels that have picked up popularity in the Christian fiction world lately so it seemed like it would be interesting enough.

What I wasn't prepared for, was how much this book would blow me away and how much i would love it. This is much more than a book about how or why the Amish live their lives differently from most of society. It's a book about Godly simplicity. Most people who read or write books on simplicity go at it from a the point of view that something is wrong with their life and they need to go save the rainforests or the pigmys but have too much crap to be able to do it. Therefore, they simplify, give their stuff away, pay off debt so they can live their whole lives doing what they want.

This book is a primer on simplicity from a Godly perspective. I would be hard pressed to find a religion that finds anything wrong with the basic principles outlined in this book. In the simplicity section, she discusses what value money has to the Amish, how they live "small scale", and how they value their family.

Each topic is short (around 2-7 pages) and is followed by a few reflection questions -- how could you change your life in regards this topic? Or what does it mean in your life? The layout of this book makes it ideal for a group book study. It is also an excellent book for anyone who is looking to simply & conserve, especially if they are doing so in SPITE of the environmentalists :). And, if you are just curious or looking for a little background, this will work really well for that, too. Just be prepared to get more out of it than you thought when you picked it up!

Peace. Does anyone really have true peace? The Amish seem to have it, but is it peace or just a lack of things? I was curious to read this book and see what Suzanne found out in her research, visits and interviews with the Amish. What I didn't expect was the peace I would get just from reading the book. I'm not a huge non-fiction fan just because it usually takes me a lot longer to read non-fiction than it does to read fiction. Suzanne has such a captivating writing style, short chapters and wonderful people to write about that I just zipped right through this book. At the end of each chapter she has a little section "Reflections on..." and a "Plain Living" box that both give you things to think about and how what was discussed in that chapter may or may not relate to your life.

This book would be such a blessing to any fan of Wanda Brunstetter, Beverly Lewis, Beth Wiseman or Shelley Shepherd Gray. It will give the reader a deeper insight into the culture they have loved reading about and may just give them a deeper insight into how to obtain more peace in their own life.