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Rumspringa: To Be or Not to Be Amish

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The book 'Rumspringa' details the period of an Amish adolescent's life when they are allowed to explore a 'English' world and engage of previously forbidden behavior, such as drinking, partying, owning cars, and more, before they join the church in their early twenties. The book is arranged by giving historical anecdotes and personal accounts from people who either finished their rumspringa or were currently engaged in their own at the time of writing.

The book is written by one of the documentarians who helped produce the film of the same subject called 'Devil's Playground,' which contains many, if not all, of the people interviewed for the film. For those who have seen the film, Shachtman gives further details about each individual, which is the book's best attribute. However, Shachtman does not bring to light any new information or insights that was not previously covered in the documentary and thus, the book can seem repetitive relative to the movie.

The book is not academic and Shachtman does not cite specific sources (although he provides a bibliography at the end) and therefore, the book should not be used for research purposes. Additionally, there are quite a number of characters, introduced only by their first name and first letter of their last name, and the book tends to jump from story to story, requiring time to recollect the person and limits the flow of the read. At times, Shachtman introduces his own commentary and thoughts on the subject, which are often superficial and shallow, but to his credit, he never claims to be an authority or expert on the Amish.

If you are interested in seriously studying the subject, John Hostetler, Donald Kraybill, and Stephen Nolt have all published academic works that are excellent reading material and very informative. Additionally, a number of Amish defectors have written autobiographical works that give better accounts of growing up Amish and engaging in rumspringa than Shachtman does. However, rather than read 'Rumspringa,' I recommend watching documentary 'Devil's Playground' (2002) produced by his colleagues which deals with the same subject matter, has better flow, and includes most of the people and anecdotes from the book.

I was very surprised that the editor of this book allowed it to be hyped as a book about rumspringa. A very small percentage of the book is about this teenage Amish tradition. The rest is about Amish life in general (farming, faith, etc.), which, while interesting, is not about the moral conflicts teenagers face.

I am a writing professor and insist that my students stick to a thesis. As a professional writer, I often receive feedback from editors that I need to bring my writing back to the theme, instead of straying into related topics. Therefore, again, given the title of the book, I was very surprised that so little of this book is about the teens and their temporary entry into "the world."

The author also seems to rely at times on questionable sources. For example, at one point, he quotes an employer as saying that the decline in family farming has led to Amish teens lying more frequently. He offers no support for this proposition other than the word of the employer, yet seems to accept it as true.

His writing is also repetitive. He must tell us a dozen times that fewer Amish now farm.

That said, I did learn some interesting things about Amish communities.

When they turn 16, children who have been raised among the Old Order Amish experience a curious coming-of-age ritual, the rumspringa--or "running around"--a period during which they are given license to experience the conveniences and temptations, previously forbidden them, of mainstream, "English" society. Amish youth in rumspringa can dress like their mainstream contemporaries, and they can drink and smoke and date and party, and some of them engage in such behaviors with dangerous abandon. Some of the rumspringa parties attended by Amish youth differ little from those thrown by non-Amish teenagers: sex and drugs and rock and rap, vomiting and sleeping in, unplanned pregnancies. The Amish, that is--and this is something I would never have dreamt I could say prior to reading this book--are, some of them, too wild for this reviewer. Other Amish youth, perhaps most, are more restrained in their rumspringa explorations, confining their wild behavior to attendance at parent-approved events.

The rumspringa period is intended to give the young Amish some experience of mainstream culture so that they can make informed decisions, when the time comes, about whether or not to join the Amish church as adults. The period ends, ideally, when a young adult in rumspringa decides to be baptized into the church, which implies refraining thenceforth from the illicit behaviors they were allowed briefly to experience. Some 80% of Amish youth do, in fact, return to the fold.

Tom Shachtman's Rumspringa is the product of more than 400 hours of interviews conducted between 1999 and 2004. Shachtman focuses on the period of rumspringa, but in fact his book serves as an introduction to Amish life as a whole. Each of the author's 11 chapters centers on some aspect of Amish life--education (most Amish aren't educated beyond the 8th grade), farming, punishment by shunning, the role of women in Amish society. Shachtman profiles a great number of individual Amish of varying ages, returning to his subjects' stories throughout the book as anecdotes from their lives become pertinent to his current theme. Shachtman seamlessly integrates direct quotes and information gleaned from the interviews into his narrative. And in fact Shachtman writes very well throughout the book. His prose is clear and admirably precise.

Shachtman's book is also fascinating, at least to this reader, who was previously largely unfamiliar with the particulars of Amish culture. I cannot know how a reader raised in the Amish faith would respond to the book, but Shachtman's study seemed to me a very thoughtful and fair-minded exploration of the society. The author finds value in much of what Amish culture has to offer--the Amish work ethic, for example, dependable community support, their care of the elderly and infirm--while finding fault with other aspects, for example, their abbreviated educational system. Shachtman concludes with a chapter considering why so high a percentage of youths in rumspringa eventually join the church. What is the allure of life in Amish society, considering that the price of belonging, the renunciation of much of one's independence, is so high? It is a very interesting discussion.

Debra Hamel -- author of Trying Neaira: The True Story of a Courtesan's Scandalous Life in Ancient Greece (Yale University Press, 2003)

This book sounded very interesting but did not live up to my expectations. All the stories sounded the same. It gave some insight into the Amish life but seemed to drag on and on. It held my attention for the first couple of chapters but then I found it hard to keep reading.

Very interesting look into the little know practice of rumspringa, during which the Amish allow their teenagers to experience the dangerous temptations of "the English." We usually believe the Amish are rather naive and simple; in truth, they can be just as wild as non-Amish youths. The clinical analysis tended to be rather dry, but the portraits of the Amish youth were fascinating.

The Amish are an intriguing group, but you'd barely know it while wading through Shachtman's uninspiring, sometimes tedious take on an aspect of their life that not many know about: rumspringa. Translated as "running around," it is the rite of passage most Amish teens (beginning around age 16) are allowed to go through until they choose either to split from the church or, in the case of over 80%, join and adhere to its list of unwritten rules, known as an ordnung, which varies by district, and live (p 90) "a life stripped of unnecessary frills so that it can be devoted to religious goals." The fact that the church allows these youths to engage in behaviors that are not normally allowed, like (book jacket) "alcohol, premarital sex, telephones, drugs, wild parties and advanced education" is due to their belief that (p 27) "only informed and repentant adults should be baptized."

Through interviews with teens and their family members about their feelings, behaviors and beliefs, Shachtman paints a picture of what life is like for the Amish. Included is what separates the Amish from the Mennonites, what the suspenders the boys wear are all about, the meaning of the hairstyles and hair coverings of the females, the logic behind their wearing of plain clothing, disuse of electricity, the number of children they have, banning, shunning and a bit on less conservative sects like the Beach Amish. Additionally, the issue of how the transformation from a largely agricultural existence to one requiring workers to find jobs outside the home, mainly at factories, has affected them, specifics on their beliefs, worship, Social Security, treatment of the elderly and the disabled and data on the prevalence and geographical locations of their members are discussed. The author ends with an excellent summary of his views on the Amish, who, he writes (p 272), "sit lightly upon the earth" including some of their family-friendly and earth-friendly views that the rest of us could learn from.

Although the author has packed a lot of useful information about many aspects of Amish life into Rumspringa, the frequent use of quotes that give the book its authentic feel also do it a disservice in giving it a disjointed, choppy feel. And the use of first name and last letter (for confidentiality reasons) make it read like a who's who of friends of Bill W. It may have worked better with fictionalized names and facts on the Amish included separately from the excerpts of interviews than the all-over-the-place way it was done: great info, poorly put together.

This is a great book that explains more than just the practice of Rumsringa. It gives good background on the establishment of the sect and the reasons for their practices. It's object "reporting", along with some sociological analyzing of the effects of the Amish way of life, and Rumspringa, on the Amish youth.

Tom Schachtman's work primarily references Old Order Amish in the Elkhart-LaGrange settlement of Indiana. I declined interviews with Mr. Schachtman, but find myself referenced in the book twice. His work is well-written, but becomes superficial because he focuses on the more "sensational" stories of Amish youth who struggle with their beliefs. Imagine writing about that small percentage of non-Amish adolescents who are struggling with their identity, the use of drugs and alcohol, and are losing the battle -- and you have Mr. Schachtman's book. The "twist," of course, is the use of Amish youth, and his efforts to critique their culture.

"Rumspringa: To Be or Not to Be Amish" is a provocative read that provides an inside look into the Rumspringa tradition as seen through the eyes of the people who have lived or are presently living through the experience. As an advocate of indulging in life's many pleasures, I cannot relate in any way to living in an Amish community. But it is a fascinating lifestyle and my curiosity to find out more led me to this book. At first, I thought this would be an explanatory book with subjective opinions from the author asserted as facts. But instead of writing the book that way, author Tom Shachtman takes a different approach. Rather than simply explain the Rumspringa process and let you, the reader, absorb the concept and try to understand what young people are going through, author Tom Shachtman includes quotes from actual Amish teenagers who, in their somewhat awkward and confused way, express in their own words what Rumspringa is like and what it means to them. They talk about their concerns, their fears, their enjoyment of their newfound freedom, and their worry over their future with their families and with the church.

The actual quotations from kids going through Rumspringa are one of this books many strengths because they let you hear exactly what is going through these young, confused minds as they try to sort out their lives and their futures. Also included are quotations from older people who left the church and the impact that it has had on their lives. These parts of the book were eye- opening for me because I did not realize how harshly ex- members were treated by their former Amish brothers and sisters. They way it works is like this: If you haven't been baptized and leave the fold, you will be shunned from the community, which means you will not be permitted to take part in certain social events or religious functions. However, if you have already been baptized and then leave the church, you are given the ultimate punishment: Banning, which means you will no longer be able to have the same relationship you once had with your parents and siblings. Your own parents, if they continue to follow the rules (and most of them will), will no longer be able to serve food directly to you, will not be permitted to ride in the same car, etc. There are some differences from one Amish community to the next, but they all consider the rejection of the faith after baptism to be the most serious offense and thus deserving of the harshest punishment.

One question I have always wanted answered relates to the retention of young Amish in the community following Rumspringa. According to sources, most young people do, indeed, choose to stay in the faith and officially join the church. I always wondered exactly why these children do this and I always assumed they had a free choice and it wouldn't matter whether they chose to join or not join. Now that I have read this book, I have a clearer picture of the process. Deciding to join the church is not a completely free choice, like I once thought and like older Amish would have you believe. Yes, it is true that there is no physical force or physical threat toward children to get them to join. But there is plenty of mental strain and emotional pressure to join the church. Some parents tell their kids they will never get to heaven if they leave the community. Others dangle the threat of banning in front of their kids, pointing out that their relationship will never be the same. With this type of pressure, it is no wonder that kids choose to join in such high percentages. This is not the true, no pressure, no risk, free choice I was led to believe. It isn't like that at all. A young person is risking the support of his/her family by leaving the church, so it isn't surprising that so many give in and join, even when they would rather join the outside world and develop their talents.

The Amish enjoy work but they are not permitted the labor saving devices that most people utilize to get their jobs done more quickly. This is talked about in the book, and the author correctly points out that, if the Amish want to continue the tradition of the Amish farm, they will eventually have to give in and accept some change. Farmers in Amish communities often cannot compete with other farmers who enjoy the use of different types of electrical and motor- powered equipment to get the job done faster. In this area, and others, the Amish community has been slowly changing some of its rules because its members realize that tradition can only stay in place for so long. The tradition of Rumspringa could also use some reforming, and so could the Amish attitude toward education. The Amish are exempted from sending their kids to high school on religious grounds. But as they slowly modernize, they will likely extend education a little more, and since this could lead to more defections, it will likely be met with an agreement to allow members to work in different occupations outside the community. Some change is inevitable, even though there will be those in the community who will fight it tooth and nail.

Rumspringa is an interesting ritual in the Amish life cycle and it marks the Amish as one of the very few religious orders that allow children a complete departure from the normal religious rules and social norms for a period of time. Most young people end up joining the church after Rumspringa because they either get tired of the partying, decide they want to settle down, or figure that joining is the easiest thing to do if they want to stay right with their families. This book by Tom Shachtman is a very good educational lesson on this unusual rite and what it means to those who go through it. Most will join the church; some will not. But they will all have a period of time to reflect on life and their future during their middle to late teenage years, during the time of Rumspringa. It's an interesting book on a very fascinating subject.

This is a great book for anyone curious about Amish culture and motivations. I thought it was going to be a sensational peek into the wild behavior of Amish teen-agers but it was more about the beliefs of the sect, the history of their religion, and certain changes in their culture that have been the result of interacting and competing with the English community. I found it very hard to put down once I started reading. And yes there are a enough scandalous passages to satisfy the vicarious minded. One glaring oversight, however,is the lack of information about the sexual practices of married couples, their personal interaction, and the depth of intimate exchange.