Customer Reviews

The Gentle People: A Portrait of the Amish

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This is a fantastic series of photos, and is worth looking at. The pictures are not only well done, but many also have unique qualities about them that tell of their simple easy-going subjects. This is a book you will come back to again and again.

This book defines Amish lifestyles both in photographs and words, with lots of pages that are mostly white space, except for a single Biblical quotation such as "Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves" (Matthew 10:16). The photographs all appear as though a net or gelatin intruded between the camera lens and the subject, giving them a faded, 'antique' appearance. This technique makes me think of Hallmark calendars, or the kind of book I'd give my grandmother for Christmas.

It's important to note the original 1969 publication date of this book, because one of the most famous of the Supreme Court's rulings involving the conflict between the religious freedom of the Amish versus the requirements of state public schools came under Chief Justice Burger in 1972. It resulted in a victory for three Amish families in rural Wisconsin who were testing the guarantee of religious freedom. They had refused to send their children to public school beyond the eighth grade, asserting that modern secondary education was contrary to the Amish religion and a threat to their children's salvation. "The Amish . . . have convincingly demonstrated the sincerity of their religious beliefs," said the Court, and the children were free, after completing elementary school, to follow the centuries-old tradition of learning at home. We have the Amish to thank for the legality of home-schooling.

"The Gentle People," published prior to 1972 Supreme Court decision, is still a bit on the defensive when it comes to the Amish style of education.

Otherwise, what text there is reveals some fascinating insights into Amish traditions such as courtship and marriage. Marriages tend to take place in November, after the harvest, and the new bride and groom usually do not live together until the following spring. Instead, they go visiting every weekend and collect gifts called 'Haus-Dier' from their hosts, who were guests at their wedding. "By springtime all is ready for the couple to set up house-keeping and start raising a large family."

Another insight that might startle the normal twenty-first century American psyche: "Once married, the bond between husband and wife tends to be a tie of respect rather than one of love...Affection is believed to be purely a sacred and private matter not to be socialized. The family purposely ignores it, and the slightest outward display or gesture is viewed with disgust."

The chapter on "Ordnung (Rules for Living)" sets out the biblical verses by which the Amish have built and maintained their culture, including "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord..." (Eph. 5:22-23). Limits on schooling are deduced from: "For wisdom of the world is foolishness with God." (1 Cor. 3:19). The lack of churches or special buildings set aside for worship is taken from Acts 17:24--"The Lord of Heaven and Earth dwelleth not in temples made with hands."

"The Gentle People" does not delve deeply into the history of the Amish, but it is an interesting, although slightly out-of-date portrait of these plain, hard-working folks. The author himself was born into a Mennonite home in the heart of the Lancaster County Amish District, so he certainly possesses the background to delve into the private lives of his subjects, the so-called 'Pennsylvania Dutch.'

I bought this book for a friend and she just loved it......Great photo's and stories!!!!! I was really pleased that I could find the book for her at such a special price.

I've read many,many books about the Amish (particularly the Old Order Amish) and, though I haven't read this one, I question the author's claim to have written about them "with respect", because his book is said to have many photos, and the Amish really do not like to have their picture taken AT ALL. They would never pose for one, and usually drop their heads as quickly as possible when they realize a camera is pointed at them. Just an observation! Do the other orders welcome photos being taken of them?