Called to Be Amish: My Journey from Head Majorette to the Old Order

The Plainspoken Series

by Marlene C. Miller

Fewer than one hundred people have joined the Old Order Amish and stayed since 1950. Marlene C. Miller is one of them. In this rare memoir, Marlene recounts her unhappy and abusive childhood, how she throws herself into cheerleading and marching band, and how she falls in love with Johnny, the gentle young Amish man who helps her lace her ice skates. Against the wishes of both sets of parents, Marlene and Johnny get married and begin a family. Follow the author on this unusual journey to find out how God s love called her out of bitterness and depression and into the warm embrace of her new Amish community. Accompany her as she dons an Amish dress and prayer covering and gets baptized. Learn how she endures the strain of ten children, a hundred-acre farm, and accidents and tragedy, and find out how she comes close to walking away from it all. Turning Amish has proven to be anything but plain and simple for this former majorette. But nearly fifty years later, Marlene is still living out God's call as an Old Order Amish woman. "

Genres: Amish, Nonfiction, Memoir, Religion, Biography, Autobiography, Christian

256 pages, Paperback

First published February 9, 2015

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, let me preface this by saying I am not a fan of memoirs. I don’t care. I guess I got drawn in by the kapp on the cover of the book and decided to read it. Ms. Miller was a majorette, and we learn every detail she can remember of her life from before she became Amish. The story is rather disjointed as it starts with her getting into her wedding dress and discovering the wedding is off to the story of her birth. It was quite a bit into the book before she shares why Johnny called off the wedding and how they did end up marrying, after all.

I remember years ago, an Amish woman wrote a daily diary for Country Living magazine. The diary entries at the end of this book were interesting and reminded me of the ones that were published in Country Living. I enjoyed reading them, an intimate look at an Amish day from sunrise to sunset. I have no idea if Ms. Miller wrote the ones I remember or not, but they were similar in style and voice to the one included in this book.

If you are interested in the life story of a woman born Englisch who marries an Amish man, the struggles to convert and adjust, and the continued real life difficulty of such a “plain” life, then pick up a copy of CALLED TO BE AMISH.

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

More about her hard life than about being Amish. Abusive family, difficult circumstances surrounding her marriage, and the hard life of farming with lots of small children. Some things in her story were just odd. Over and over she complains about how poor they always were. Why were they so poor? Her husband worked many jobs and she grew and canned insane amounts. Later she admits they lost their farm, but one of their children bought it back for them. I suspect they were not good with money. At the end she admits "many" of their children left the Amish faith as adults and one of their sons is in prison. Another son died from what sounds like drunk driving, although she implied other mysterious events. And given the abusiveness of her parents, why did she let them watch her children when she had to go to the hospital? Wouldn't she have had lots of other help from her church community? I suspect she never really fit in or was accepted - her kids were bullied at school, she won't speak German because she never really learned it, and she turns to outsiders for help. It's an interesting story, but mostly sad. Oh and then there's a plug for the nutritional MLM she sells!

[Clara Roberts · Rating 1 out of 5]

A rather boring memoir of an English girl born into a dysfunctional family; an overbearing father who provided only food and shelter for his family and a barmaid for a mother. She dates an Amish young man and gets pregnant by him. They finally marry and have ten children in thirteen years. She decides to become Amish after the birth of the second child. It was a struggle to provide for such a large family. She has to work to make the farm go. Her difficulty in doing farm chores while caring her many children resulted in one toddler drinking kerosene, one having a newly shod horse step on his foot, and one toddler being run over by a wagon. A five year old child was told to go out and watch the cows in an unfenced area. I would called this a memoir about neglectful parents.

[Christina A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a boring book, per se, but it wasn’t what I expected. I’m not sure I would ever read it again.

[Nilah Douglas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve never read anything from an Amish perspective nor do I know much about the culture, but it was really interesting reading about Marlene. She was English (like me), God saved her (like me), but the Lord was calling her into an Amish lifestyle with her Amish husband and eventually family. The book had some holes in it. I wish I could have heard more about the reconciliation of her parents and her because it seemed like their relationship improved. It also lacked more interrelationships between her/her kids and other Amish mothers/families/lifestyles. The author could’ve withheld that information due to how private the culture is, but it is a noticeable hole. All in all, I enjoyed the book! It felt like I was reading about a woman’s life who was trying to balance being a mom, wife, and follower of Christ- again, like me. Would suggest for that reason, but not necessarily to gain any particular insight on the Amish life.

[Star · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book.

[Sandra Devault · Rating 5 out of 5]

Called to Be Amish gives a rare glimpse into the life of the Old-Order Amish. Reading this memoir was like sitting down with a cup of coffee and talking to an old friend who you are eager to catch up with. Marlene opens up and deeply shares about her life: The good, the bad, and sometimes the ugly. The questions to the author at the end are a must read - very interesting and informative. There are yummy, must try recipes included as well.

Marlene shares and explains many of the Amish traditions in Called to Be Amish. Her writing is not polished like other authors, however, this gives the memoir authenticity. The reader feels as if they are right in the midst of Marlene’s life watching the events as the unfold. She shares her beliefs as if she was having a conversation with you; she is not preachy or trying to convert you to her way of thinking. Marlene is just sharing her story with you. It felt like a privilege to get to read her story.

What shines through in Called to Be Amish is the love of Christ shown by Marlene, her husband, and most of her husband’s family. The sacrifices Marlene made to show her love for Christ and how her life changed after her conversion really makes is inspiring and very encouraging. This book inspired me to take a hard look at my life; at what is important and what I am willing to sacrifice for Christ.


I give Called to Be Amish 5 out of 5 stars. With so many television shows and authors who are neither true to the Amish nor their culture, it was refreshing to read a book that accomplished both. You will walk away from this book knowing your life has been enriched by reading it.

Thank you to the Litfuse Chicks for a free copy of Called to Be Amish in return for my honest review. No monetary compensation was received and all opinions stated are my own.

[Kav · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting glimpse into the life of an Amish convert. Miller's conversational tone made me feel like I was sitting right there listening as she reminisced about her life. She is frank about everything from her troubled childhood to the many ups and downs of living Amish for decades. Just reading the harrowing tales about the mischief (and danger!) her children got into on the farm about gave me heart palpitations. The author is certainly made of sterner stuff than I am, that's for sure. And that's what really shone through for me -- Miller's pioneer spirit. That along with her zest for life and love for the Savior.

My thanks to Litfuse Publicity and Herald Press for a review copy of this book.

[SouthWestZippy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not sure I can fully put into words on how I feel about this book but I will try. Marlene Miller comes from a dysfunctional family. Starts dating a Amish man and gets pregnant so they get married.
She decides to become Amish herself and they have lots more kids. You can tell she did not grow up on the Amish involvement, she complains a lot about having 10 kids, lack of money and the struggles of having a farm plus has very little patience. Some of the story are just so sad and others I wonder if the woman was born with any common sense. Marlene Miller is very open and raw at time but lacks a full well rounded picture of just what is going on, kinda like she is holding back information. If you are looking for information about the Amish as a whole, skip this book, if you are looking for a peek into the life of a woman who married into the Amish then you might like this book. To me it was just a ok strangely put together book.

[Amy-Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The life of a woman who crossed from being an "Englisher" to an Old Order Amish wife & mother. Not as informative as I would have liked but still interesting.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suggested Age:13+- I feel this book is teen appropriate. While there is mention of drinking and a pregnancy out of wedlock, neither are glorified in any way. Young girls can learn from this mom's struggles and hopefully walk away with a message of hope and the importance of salvation.

This is a powerful book with a beautiful and heartfelt salvation testimony. You can’t help but be touched by the sweet saving grace and mercy of the Lord when you read this memoir. I was very impressed with this woman’s account of her background and her story. Not once did she try to convert others into the Amish faith. In fact, she says as much. She never once comes off as being better than thou for having converted to the Amish faith, rather, she is very open about her mistakes and her sins and then her salvation.

Marlene’s conversion into the Amish faith came after several years of marriage and the birth of three children. We learn of her personal heartbreak, both before and after her salvation. Most importantly, we learn about the mercy of the Lord and the peace, love, and acceptance that she found in His salvation.

Marlene’s heartache didn’t end with her salvation but what did change was that her life was made new in Him. No longer was she alone when the hard storms of life came along. She found her solace in the Lord. Honestly, she and Jerry Eicher (who grew up Amish) have one of the best personal salvation testimonies that I have had the pleasure of reading on paper. I don’t know how much more simple the love of God could be put into words.

I know enough from reading this book to know that the author would never want personal accolades for this memoir so I will give God the everlasting glory for his enduring mercy and salvation. I hope that you enjoy this book as much as I have and that if you have not yet made a personal relationship in Christ that this book may help bring you closer to Him. I would say this book is a powerful story of personal triumph but rather, this book is a powerful story of just how much is possible in Christ.

To view more of my reviews please check out my website here

[Hallie (Hallie Reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is also posted on Book by Book.

With her memoir, Called to Be Amish: My Journey from Head Majorette to the Old Order, Marlene C. Miller gives her readers an intriguing look into her life as a woman who felt called to join the Old-Order Amish. Her choice to join the Amish is one that very few people actually make. so discovering her motivations behind this choice, as well as how it completely changed her life, fascinated me. Her testimony powerfully speaks the life-changing nature of faithfully following God, and her explanations of adapting to the Amish day-to-day life taught me quite a bit about Amish culture. Called to Be Amish is a worthwhile read that is wholly inspirational and encouraging, and I think readers who enjoy memoirs and Amish culture will not want to miss it.

Thanks to LitFuse Publicity Group, I received a copy of Called to Be Amish and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own.

[Eve Hardin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disturbing. Marlene left abuse to be abused by a closed cult like Old Order Amish community. I felt terrible for her 10 children and both her and her husband. Pressured by family tradition, love of her husband, whose relatives would not accept Marlene, nor their son, she converted to a life of hardship, guilt, children raising other children, horrible accidents, basically living in the dark ages with so many rules, it took her years to learn them.
Marlene may have thought she shared her love of God, but all I saw was a hard, horrible cult whose treatment of children and women is deplorable.
I am from Northern Indiana, near Elkhart, Goshen, Shipshewanna, Nappanee, and have know several children of "ex" Amish, who choose to love and marry outside the Amish community and to seek education past 8th grade. They never joined the church so were not banned, but their family was never accepted. Is that God's love? Really? Marlene loved her high school years, being in a band, baton and her life. She would deny all her children possible joy of life not subjected to toil and guilt. Sad and disturbing on so many levels.

[Laura Lane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've admired the Amish and Mennonites for their commitment to living life together. I think it's something that is missing in many mainline Christian churches. I think that, combined with the busy hustle bustle, makes reading Amish fiction relaxing. It's also very nice to know that it will be clean. I know that motives of the heart are hidden, but what we do does influence others.

Thank you Litfuse for this review copy.

Called to be Amish by Marlene Miller is the first memoir I've seen of someone who has chosen to convert to the Old-Order Amish faith. I am not sure what I expected, but I was immediately drawn into Mrs. Miller's story. She is indeed plain spoken. She writes as though writing to a close friend.

She doesn't gloss over the abuse in her childhood, but she shows God's hand drawing her to faith throughout her childhood. She gives enough details of her life, what she did to fill the emptiness we all feel, to show that she had a Jesus sized hole in her heart that only Jesus could fill.

From her charming first meeting with the Amish ice skater, Johnny, to her salvation experience, to her first meeting with his parents, and finally building a life together, Mrs. Miller shares the joys, trials, tragedies, and hope that she has experienced in her life.

This is indeed a beautiful book that strips away a lot of the fantasies about the plain life that one might have if they've read some of the current novels, but it also shows the deep, committed faith that this one Amish lady has had during her life.

Mrs. Miller has a unique viewpoint that makes this especially interesting to us English. If you're interested in Amish life, I think you'll enjoy this memoir.

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was sort of in the category of sniffing coffee beans in-between smelling good perfumes. I've been to Amish country twice with my mom for short getaways, and we had a great time, really. Then she went once more with my brother, his wife, and their two kids. We did the tourist thing -- Basketville, Miller's (?) Smorgasbord, shops selling hand made quilts, antiques, and ceramics. We took the train from our small town down to New Haven and transferred to Philly, where the big angel is from the movie "Witness." From there we could get directly to the old-fashioned station in Lancaster. Thanks to the Mennonites, who did not treat us as outsiders, we visited an aromatic tobacco silo and went on a horse-drawn carriage ride. I spied a little boy in hat and overalls running through a field -- very picturesque. It spurred me on to ask some questions and find out more about the Amish. I found it fascinating. Then a gal I began dog-sitting for who grew up in Lancaster told me about the puppy mills. I am aware you can't paint all Amish with the same brush (doesn't sound like Marlene's family was into anything of this sort) but I was beyond horrified, and upon investigation, found it was true -- and that animal rescuers sneak into Amish farms to get these poor dogs out of the "life" they're living, and that sometimes it's dangerous. So I guess I'm a little prejudiced. But it was a good read, though I won't be waxing poetic about it like some other readers.

[Matthew]

'Called To Be Amish' is a look behind the curtain of Amish life, from the perspective of a convert to the faith. Marlene C. Miller gives an outline of her life as an english (non-Amish) person and how the Amish way of life challenged her to greater feats of faith, joy and gratitude. So much of the popular media about the Amish tends to be from the perspective of those who leave it, and thus tends to be on the negative side. But Marlene tells a different story, and without any sugar coating. The Amish way of life is hard and has its own unique difficulties, however, it possesses many treasures at the same time.

The Amish have a lot they can teach us about modernity, and how we can overcome these modern challenges but only if we are inclined to listen. We must humble ourselves in order to learn from the humble. Traditional Christians of all stripes should lend an ear to these plain and quiet people, and in doing so we may discover that some old ways of being really do have a place in our busy modern world.

[Marie S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was neither a good memoir nor an informational read, so I leave this book quite disappointed.
Marlene Miller tells a story, but it doesn't seem she want to tell it, she hide things, she tells us the opposite of what she does. It wasn't really pleasant to look for contradiction and yet there was a ton.
The one that really bothered me is that she kept telling us she want to learn/love to get to know more, yet she doesn't learn German, she doesn't go near the buggy and the horses and so on and so forth.

And there was almost nothing about Amish life at all. When she hosted church for the first time, the only thing she tells us is about the cleaning and the food. She doesn't seem to be involved in her community, people come to help us, be she never help others.
Beside a few key moment, there was no mention of God or Faith, it was so weird. She could have just been a woman farming with her husband.

[Jeanine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marlene Miller did not have a wonderful childhood. Her mother was often angry and abusive. She had a talent for singing and baton twirling. One day while ice skating, a chance meeting changed the course of her life.
After Johnny and Marlene married, they both decided to join the Amish community. Johnny had been raised within the Old Order, but Marlene would need to learn everything. Eventually the lived on a 100 acre farm with pigs, chickens, cows, horses, and some dogs. Their ten children were raised Amish.
This was a nice look into what it means to live within the Amish community. Less than 100 people have joined the community after living English ( not Amish). Marlene is one of them.

[Samuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Called to be Amish is the memoir of one of the few outsiders who join the Amish and stay. It's an interesting tale from that perspective. Unfortunately, the book is not really that self-reflective. Marlene Miller appears to have been raised in a dysfunctional family and did not learn many life skills. She dated an Amish boy who was five years older, and they were married. The religious language the author uses seems to be quite clichéd evangelicalism. She is quite silent about her relationship with the Amish community, except for close relatives.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting view into a different way of life.

Called To Be Amish is a compelling story, and a sincere, interesting look into a way of life I knew little about. While the story jumped around a bit, and the writing was not slick or professional, Marlene’s telling of life as someone learning to be Amish, learning to be a farmer’s wife, and learning to do without the conveniences we take for granted, is a charming, worthwhile read.

[Tammy Roberson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not what I expected

Without spoiling the book for others, I expected more detailed explanation of what being Amish is, how that is different from similar religions, and then what lead to this move.
I felt like this was just a basic autobiography, and I only finished because it was a book club selection.
Very disappointed.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I found Ms. Miller's life story to be deeply fascinating, I was her heavy-handed religiosity to be somewhat alienating. Her boundless optimism in the face of what seems like rather grim circumstances (poverty, endless amounts of physical labor, constant childbirth and recovery, frequent accidents on the farm) did help, and although I enjoyed this, I didn't quite love it.

Full review here: https://shesprobablyatthelibrary.blog...

[Meadow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really surprised by the things that she wrote. I definitely was not expecting the many tragedies and incidents that happened to her family. Overall, I felt that, though her writing style is not the best, I really connected with her life story and definitely learned and saw deeper into the Amish faith than when I visited a few years back.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting look at the life of a woman who converted to Old Order Amish. You can tell it was not always an easy process for her. I also appreciated that at times when Marlene was talking about some cultural aspects of Amish life, she talked about how those things have changed in more recent Amish history. I definitely recommend this if you are interested in the Amish way of life.

[Lorelei · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting and deeply moving

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the Amish. This is a true story, about real people. So much Amish fiction is more fiction than Amish.

[Celeste Sosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reivew

Though I enjoyed reading the book and Marlene’s story, I thought that she was going to focus more on the Amish traditions and explaining them a little bit more as an ‘outsider’.

[Norma J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much. It is entirely different from the usual Amish novels, because it told my a woman who changed to embrace the Amish beliefs and life style. I greatly admire her, happy at many times, sad for the family at other times. I recommend this book.

[Beth Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like listening to Grandma telling the stories of her life.

I truly enjoyed Mrs. Miller's story of growing up non-Amish and her conversion at the kitchen sink. She loves and trusts our Lord even when times were difficult.

[Maryann · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very simple book about a very complicated life. Marlene did a major turn around when she joined the Amish Church. Having 12 children and a 100 acre farm meant an extremely busy and very stressful life. There were times when just reading about her daily activities exhausted me!!

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable memoir.