Born Amish

by Ruth Irene Garrett, Deborah Morse-Kahn

Ruth Irene Garrett fell in love with an Englischer at the age of 21 and left her Amish community to begin her new life out in the world. Deborah Morse-Kahn has been writing about this very special religious community in the United States. In Born Amish we learn aboutlife as a child growing up in the Amish farming community of Kalona, school, games and chores; work, crafts and foods; clothing, farming and tumbling about with many brothers and sisters. We learn about the expectations for girls and boys, and then for young women and young men, in Amish families; of social roles and understandings about courtship and marriage; about adult baptism and the often wrenching decisions young Amish men and women must make to go out into the English world into mainstream Christian congregations, or to stay and make a life of faith in the Amish church.

Genres: Nonfiction, Amish, Memoir

206 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2004

About the author

Ruth Irene Garrett left the Amish faith in 1996 and was ultimately excommunicated. She currently lives with her husband, Ottie, in Kentucky where they devote their time to helping Amish families who have left their communities.

Reviews

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Born Amish serves its purpose pretty well. It provides insight into Ruth Irene Garrett, her Amish experience and her choice to leave the Amish. She is pretty good about qualifying her descriptions of Amish life by saying that it is done differently in different communities. First-person accounts like hers offer helpful perspective on popular representations of Amish life like the "bonnet-ripper" novels as well as more scholarly works about the Amish.

[Christine Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect, as this was a book my grandmother recommended. What I found was a novel that mixes memoir with an anthropological study of a very old traditional culture that I am not familiar with. I enjoyed the story, short though it was, and found the cultural revelations quite fascinating. This was a very interesting book, though to me not as compelling as I would have liked.

[C.J. Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easy read about a woman who was born and baptized Amish in Kalona, Iowa. I found the information interesting and even a little surprising because many of the beliefs and expectations were not unique to the Amish. There are definitely differences between Amish and English - just enough to satisfy a bit of curiosity and keep me engaged. Not overwhelming or over my head with details, while at the same time tugging at me to learn more. The author being from Iowa is an added benefit.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick read. I appreciated reading the benefits and drawbacks of being raised in an Amish community; it did make me yearn for the community aspect of the life but perhaps, having been raised in the "English" world, I couldn't actually handle it....

[Fay Risner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Born Amish is a great and informative look at Amish life by the author from Kalona, Iowa. Worth your reading if you are intersted in what is like to be a member of the Amish group in that area.

[Luann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author is from Iowa!

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was quite an experience to be driving through southwestern Wisconsin on a Sunday morning, passing a few dozen Amish buggies and wagons over a five- to 10-mile distance, while in the middle of reading "Born Amish" by Ruth Irene Garrett. As I wondered why we were seeing so many Amish people on the road that morning, I was able to look up Garrett's comment about there being a number of Amish church districts (and a healthy Amish population) in the Cashton, Wis., area (the very region through which we were traversing) and that they gathered for a Sunday meeting every other Sunday morning. We just happened to be in the "right place at the right time" to witness their travels that day. Garrett's account is fairly straightforward--not too colorful, not perfect--but informational in a way that makes readers feel they've learned a good deal about how contemporary Amish communities really function. The vivid photos included in this book are a plus. Easy but enlightening read.

[Luella · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book explains the beliefs and the ways of her life as Amish. Interesting to read.

[Zachary · Rating 2 out of 5]

''Born Amish'' contains many interesting insights into the daily life of the Amish, but it is very problematic. In the first place, I find it impossible to consistently answer a simple question: who wrote what in this book?

Two authors are listed: Ruth Irene Garrett, a woman who left her native Amish community in her twenties, and Deborah Morse-Kahn, an anthropologist of unimpressive scholarship and curriculum vitae. Aside from writing the brief preface, though, absolutely nothing is attributed to Morse-Kahn; the book itself from beginning to end appears to be Garrett's memoir of her Amish life. As preface-writers are not customarily included as authors, and also because the narrative occasionally departs suddenly from a short, precise writing style in favor of a more long-winded, academic voice, I theorize that Morse-Kahn had contributions to the text that are not attributed to her hand. I am certain, for example, that the oft-repeated insistence that the Amish conception of salvation centers on ''works and deeds,'' which is referred to derogatorily, is from Garrett's own hand. She never defines what she means, but she repeats it with a simple regularity that never can quite rid itself of the flavor of an excuse: as if Garrett needs some spiritual justification to herself for leaving. I do not believe, though, that all the passages emphasizing the patriarchical nature of ''a closed community'' such as the Amish are original to Garrett: both ''patriarchical'' and ''closed'' are anthropological-sociological terms that a scholar is more likely to use to describe a community. As opposed to ''works and deeds,'' the use of ''patriarical'' and ''closed'' are defined and used precisely and academically (as well as polemically). It may be that Garrett would agree with them, but I doubt they orientated from her.

I find, because of the ''ghost writer'' that I cannot trust the more speculative parts of the book, but it nonetheless does contain an interesting picture of Amish life in its less-dramic parts.

[Lynnie]

I read this back in high school when I was working at the county library. This woman I knew from church returned it and told me it was really good. So I checked it out and my mom, who has a strong interest in Amish culture, picked it up... and lo and behold, she actually got the author to come speak to one of her classes. I got to skip class (hooray!) to listen in. I really don't remember much about the book though... a good glimpse into Amish culture, but I pretty much knew everything that was discussed (from what i remember)

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting look into Amish culture, but constant repetition of main facts makes for a tiring read.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Answers many questions I have had about the Amish. Sympathetic yet balanced book.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was full of information about living Amish straight from a woman that left the Amish community. Very interesting, although poorly written. Easy to read.

[Christi E. Ryder · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book and will definitely read it again in the future! Some great information about the Amish written in a very interesting fashion.

[Helga · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is not a lot of academic minutiae in here. It was written by someone who grew up in this culture and then left. This book is good to give you an idea of what life is like as lived by the average person in the Amish community where the author grew up. If you are looking for some detailed analysis about Anabaptist movements or something Jerry Springeresque, keep looking.