Memoir: Reasons Why I Left the Amish Community

by Sam Miller

Reasons Why I Left the Amish Community
Sam Miller

From daily routines, customs, and beliefs to weddings and funeral services and more, learn about the Amish community through the eyes of someone who lived it.

In Reasons Why I Left the Amish Community, Sam Miller shares his experiences, both good and bad, growing up as Swartzentruber Amish, one of the strictest Amish religions, and explains his difficult decision to leave.

About the Author

At the age of 18, Sam Miller made the difficult decision to leave his home and religion to start a new life in the English world and experience different ways of living. Since his time leaving, he has lived in Indiana, Vermont, and New York, working various jobs in construction, farming, and more.

His book, Reasons Why I Left the Amish Community, was borne from people’s repeated interest in his life growing up Swartzentruber Amish.

159 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 13, 2021

About the author

There is more than one author with this name

Sam Miller was born and brought up in London. He studied History at Cambridge University and Politics at London University’s School of Oriental and African Studies, before joining the BBC in 1986, for which he has worked, on and off, ever since. In the early 1990s he was the BBC World Service TV and radio correspondent in Delhi, and on his return to the UK in 1993 was the presenter of the BBC ’s current affairs programme, South Asia Report. Later he became the head of the Urdu service and subsequently Managing Editor, South Asia. He was posted back to Delhi in 2002 and has remained there ever since. He is the author of Delhi: Adventures in a Megacity (2009) and Blue Guide: India (2012).

Reviews

[Jennifer Tuggey]

I don’t know how to rate this. It’s a fascinating subject, and I wish I had learned more about Amish life, and the adjustment period one faces after their choice to walk away.
That said, there was a moment when Sam reflects on his limited formal education- and showcased some real vulnerability. How brave to feel that way, and still put his story out for the world to read. The writing was choppy and repetitive, but wholly his own. Had there been more (necessary) editing, that would have been taken from him. And dare I say it- that was the most authentic and informative quality about this reading experience.

[Holly Scott · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sam’s memoir is so hard to read due to the repetitive, simplistic language he uses. With some inside knowledge of dairy farming and the geographical region, i found many aspects of the memoir exaggerated, confusing or untrue. This makes him an unreliable narrator-kind of fun in fiction; not so much in nonfiction!

[Ann Lalonde · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not very informative

I thought this book would be much more informative than it was. It wasn't what I expected. I hope there is a sequel.

[Amber]

Pick your Poison-person who belongs to a religious order-Sam was a member of one of the strictest orders of the Amish religion and chose to leave its harsh standards. He loved the community but his father had even stricter standards for his children. Tho Sam loved the Amish lifestyle he felt as thought he didn't fit in and left the community at age 17. He had to return, however, until he reached age 18.

I was surprised by a few things that this order did that I hadn't heard before. The book has many repitions of sentences that sound like they are being spoken by a child and more than a few errors that the editor should have caught. Short read, interesting.

[Delinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book and following the story. However, there was some repetition, missing capitalization, and places that an editor was needed. This could have made the book more enjoyable. (It made it hard to read for me, personally, as I have a diagnosed neurological condition)

[Anne M · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book seemed repetitive and really didn’t cover as much about Amish life as I expected. The book certainly had typos and errors, but I assume the author still has a limited education, and it wasn’t reviewed before publishing.

[Carol A. Baxter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

I enjoyed this book, but at times it was hard to follow😐. There appeared a lack of proofreading as well.

[Dorothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An awesome read and was shocked what Amish people go through and what they deal in Amish life too

[Kathy K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enlightening book. I loved the prose. You could almost hear the author speaking.

[Karen Rowe · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think someone should have proofread this book before it was printed. Constant repetition & spelling/grammar mistakes. Many sentences could’ve been combined together. It would be more interesting if he wasn’t constantly repeating himself.