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Crossing Over: One Woman's Escape from Amish Life
 
 
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Crossing Over: One Woman's Escape from Amish Life [Paperback]

Ruth Irene Garrett (Author), Rick Farrant (Author)
3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)

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Book Description

January 7, 2003

A work Booklist called ଯving and life–affirming, Crossing Over is the true story of one woman's extraordinary flight from the protected world of the Amish people to the chaos of contemporary life.

Ruth Irene Garrett was the fifth of seven children raised in Kalona, Iowa, as a member of a strict Old Order Amish community. She was brought up in a world filled with rigid rules and intense secrecy, in an environment where the dress, buggies, codes of conduct, and way of life differed even from other Amish societies only 100 miles away. This Old Order community actively avoided all interaction with ೨e Englishߜ'96 everyone who lived on the outside. As a result, Ruth knew only one way of life, and one way of doing things.

This compelling narrative takes us inside a hidden community, offering a striking look as one woman comes to terms with her discontent and ultimately leaves her family, faith and the sheltered world of her childhood. Unsatisfied, she bravely crosses over to contemporary life to fully explore the foreign and frightening reality in hope of better understanding her emotional and spiritual desires. What emerges is a powerful tale of one woman's search for meaning and the extraordinary lessons she learns along the way.


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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Garrett lifts the veil from one of the most private, most fascinating Christian sects, the Amish. The fifth of seven children, she grew up in Kalona, Iowa, as a member of the strict Old Order Amish, who owned no motor vehicles and went without electricity and telephones. Unthinkably for an Old Order Amish young woman, she fell in love with an outsider 15 years her senior. Worse, he was divorced, and wedding him was equivalent to adultery in the eyes of the Amish. But leaving the order was her most serious offense, and for it she suffered the severe consequence of being shunned by her home community. Garrett is exceedingly honest, unafraid to criticize what she considers rigid and hypocritical in Amish behavior. Her subsequent life among "the English," as the low German-speaking Amish call outsiders, makes a wonderful tale of self-discovery, as her relationship with her husband slowly blossoms. Moving and life-affirming, the book ends on a hopeful note as her family comes to grudgingly accept her difficult, life-altering decision. June Sawyers
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“A beautiful story of a young lady’s struggle to be free.” (Joseph Girzone, author of the best-selling Joshua series )

Product Details

  • Paperback: 208 pages
  • Publisher: HarperOne (January 7, 2003)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 006052992X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0060529925
  • Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #390,843 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

63 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.4 out of 5 stars (63 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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78 of 91 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Heart Full of Grace, September 2, 2003
By 
Kathy Wiley (Mt. Pleasant, Iowa USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Crossing Over: One Woman's Escape from Amish Life (Paperback)
Coming from Amish and Mennonite family background myself, and growing up interacting with cousins in Kalona, it was very interesting to read Irene's story. I have always known that there were inconsistencies within the Amish culture, however, I was surprised at the severity of her father's treatment of his family. I was impressed with her courage to leave, yet also with her ability to maintain a desire to stay in contact with her family. It is obvious that she has an understanding of the concept of unconditional love even though this was not consistently modeled for her.

I have had the pleasure of meeting Irene and Ottie and was impressed with their honesty, love and unconditional positive regard they held for one another. Their book, "My Amish Heritage" is evidence of the hope that Irene holds in staying connected with her early life even as she moves on, evolving into a beautiful modern-day woman. Her heart is full of grace.

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29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, August 19, 2006
By 
A. L. Caissie (Garden Grove, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Crossing Over: One Woman's Escape from Amish Life (Paperback)
This book did not live up to its description. It is a very superficial look at the societal and familial forces used by the Amish to control the behavior of their members. I ended up feeling sorry for the writer, Ruth. She believes, quite erroneously, that she has escaped a repressive life in order to be with the man she loves. In truth, she is being used by a thrice-divorced man, old enough to be her father, who is too morbidly obese to hold a job. Really quite sad.
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48 of 56 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Escape? Oh please..., April 25, 2006
By 
kyrais (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Crossing Over: One Woman's Escape from Amish Life (Paperback)
This was a book that I had to read for my Amish Culture class. Whilst I'll be the first person to say that the Amish are placed on a pedestal, I still think that the author seems be unable to say anything kind about the Amish. She constantly bashes the Amish way of life, even bringing up the lack of the word "love" in Pennsylvanian Dutch as a weapon to illustrate how unfeeling and callous the Amish are. I especially take offense against the word "escape" in the title. She could have chosen to leave the Amish before she was baptized into the church. Use of the word escape is just for sensationalism. The Amish do not excommunicate those who leave before they are baptized into the church. Also, she brought up a lawsuit against a woman who refused to serve her. I do NOT consider that something a woman "full of grace" would have done. If she were truly a good person, she would not have placed that woman into a position where she could be punished by her church elders. Also, doing nothing but bad-mouthing the Amish and making money off of her "X-Amish" background really just is too much. Is it any wonder that other church districts other than her own would not want their people to interact with her? Other people leave the Amish and manage to interact amicably with them, I don't know why she has to drag them all through the dirt. I would NOT read anything else by this woman. Not all the Amish are monsters, and not all of them are saints on earth. If you want to learn more about the Amish, Amish Society by Hostetler would be a MUCH better choice.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
"I had barely made it inside the door of the old, two-story white farmhouse when my mother fell into me, put her head on my shoulder, and began sobbing." Read the first page
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Old Order Amish, Horse Cave, Ottie Garrett, Iowa City, Jesus Christ, Bowling Green, Key West, Santa Claus, Old Dixie Road, Pennsylvania Dutch, Rick Farrant, Son of God, True Stories of the X-Amish
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