July 15th is Prime Day

Buy Used

$4.99

Used: Good | Details

Sold by Shared Knowledge Literacy Foundation

Fulfilled by Amazon

Condition: Used: Good

Comment: PLEASE READ FULL DESCRIPTION -USED GOOD- This book has been read and may show wear to the cover and or pages. There may be some dog-eared pages. In some cases the internal pages may contain highlighting/margin notes/underlining or any combination of these markings. The binding will be secure in all cases. This is a good reading and studying copy and has been verified that all pages are legible and intact. If the book contained a CD it is not guaranteed to still be included. All items are packed and shipped from the Amazon warehouse.

Turn on 1-Click ordering for this browser

41 used & new from $0.01

See All Buying Options

Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See this image

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding the Amish Paperback – June 3, 2003

by Susan Rensberger (Author)

4 customer reviews

See all formats and editions Hide other formats and editions

Amazon Price New from Used from

Paperback

"Please retry"

—

$12.98

$0.01

Paperback
from $0.01 29 Used from $0.01 12 New from $12.98

From an author who grew up in a Mennonite community, this is an in depth look at the evolution, religion, and customs of a people who continue to live the pastoral life of their forebears, covering everything from language, clothing, cooking, and furniture to the impact of the modern world on the simple-living "Plain People."

Customers Who Viewed This Item Also Viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.

John A. Hostetler

34

Paperback
$20.46
Steven M. Nolt

29

Paperback
$9.95
Mindy Starns Clark

25

Paperback

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Susan Rensberger grew up in a Mennonite community in northern Indiana. She is the author of A Multicultural Portrait of the Great Depression, as well as newspaper and magazine articles. She has spent more than 20 years as a writer and consultant in public relations, politics, and business communications. She was a White House speechwriter for Vice President Walter F. Mondale, and on state and national political campaigns.

NO_CONTENT_IN_FEATURE

Product Details

Series: The Complete Idiot's Guide
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Alpha (June 3, 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0028644700
ISBN-13: 978-0028644707
Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.9 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #392,143 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #343 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Christian Denominations & Sects > Amish
- #85651 in Books > Religion & Spirituality

Would you like to update product info, give feedback on images, or tell us about a lower price?

Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars

5 star		50%
4 star		0%
3 star		0%
2 star		0%
1 star		50%

See all 4 customer reviews

Share your thoughts with other customers

Write a customer review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

Not a good guide to the Amish

By A reader on November 27, 2005

Format: Paperback

Unfortunately, despite its accessibility (lots of fancy layouts and textboxes) and self-conciously quirky style (idiot's guide??!!) this is not a book I can recommend to those seeking an understanding of Anabaptist culture and society at anything other than the most superficial level. The book fails to place Amish society in its proper context as a living, evolving culture, and the apparently indiscriminate 'browsing' done by the author in the work of others for her own book's content means that there are some important factual errors in her story. For those who want information about the Amish that does not treat them as a living tourist attraction I would wholeheartedly recommend the book 'Amish Society' by John Hostetler or work by Don Kraybill, both of whom treat Amish culture with respect but without wearing rose-tinted glasses, and who have done their own research.

Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback. If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

10 of 15 people found the following review helpful

A balanced, informative review of the amish and mennonites

By A Customer on July 23, 2003

Format: Paperback

I am writing this brief review to express my appreciation for the author's thorough and realistic portrayal of the amish and mennonites, their culture and their society.
No group of people is all good, or all bad. One reviewer here stated "this is the only book I've ever read that doesn't portray the Amish in a favorable light." First of all, the statement is not true. While few in number, there are a number of books and articles that present a balanced view of the Amish....neither idealizing them nor demonizing them. Second, if the quoted statement were true, it would only serve to point out all the more the need for a balanced view of the amish; one that shows them in a light that is neither favorable nor unfavorable, a light that shows them as they are.
As a reader, I want to be treated in a mature manner by an author. When I read a book on a subject, I want to be shown the good with the bad. I want accurate insight into the lives of these people. I want to see it the way it is so that I can form my own opinions. I want the admirable and not so admirable aspects. On all accounts this wonderful little book delivers. If you want to understand this important culture, so often misunderstood and idealized, read this book. You won't regret it.

Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback. If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

11 of 17 people found the following review helpful

Very disappointing!

By A Customer on June 29, 2003

Format: Paperback

This is the only book I've ever read that doesn't portray the Amish in a favorable light.
The author seems to be a very disgruntled ex-Mennonite. She resents the fact that the Amish are a patriarchal religion. She paints them as a repressive society where members are forced, sometimes through public humiliation, to conform to the rules or face excommunication and shunning. Other authors have treated this process with less obvious derision.
The book includes a rather large section devoted solely to the horror stories of former Amish people. It's full of stories of physical and sexual abuse.
The author is brief where she should be more detailed, and vice versa. There are far too many typos. She refers to other books, yet she says things that are the opposite of what the other books, which were written by recognized authorities, say!
This book is truly a major disappointment!

Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback. If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

Five Stars

By A. Craig on December 29, 2014

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

Nice addition to my collection of books about the Amish

http://goo.gl/gbd9Ve

Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback. If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

See all 4 customer reviews (newest first)

Write a customer review