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Ira WaglerTyndale House / 2011 / ePubOur Price$9.994.3 out of 5 stars for Growing Up Amish: A Memoir - eBook. View reviews of this product. 34 Reviews
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Robin WallaceFloridaAge: 35-44Gender: female4 Stars Out Of 5Insight in the life of the AmishOctober 21, 2011Robin WallaceFloridaAge: 35-44Gender: femaleQuality: 4Value: 4Meets Expectations: 4This review was written for Growing Up Amish: A Memoir.I enjoyed this book for a multitude of reasons. One big reason is the insight provided by Mr. Wagler of what the Amish life is like. There was a complete honesty and simplicity in his thinking about home. The question always before him was can he ever really leave home. The bigger and greater reason for staying with his story was the triumphant end - coming to a Christ who is home and salvation. It is a true prodigal coming home as many are going home to the Christ who saves. The saddest thing was the gentleman who shared the savior to Mr. Wagler, and Mr. Wagler grace in dealing with loosing this friend. It is a great show of the Lord salvation because when Mr. Wagler would not do as his friend wanted Mr. Wagler faith continued to grow and change his life. Throughout the slower parts of his story he successful wove in the knowledge that something was coming. The big life altering something of Jesus the Christ. Thank you Mr. Wagler for the glimpse into the Amish mystique and again our great God and Savior.
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Life Blessons BlogAge: 25-34Gender: female4 Stars Out Of 5A look into the hardships of growing up AmishJune 26, 2011Life Blessons BlogAge: 25-34Gender: femaleQuality: 5Value: 4Meets Expectations: 4This review was written for Growing Up Amish: A Memoir.I always wondered what it would be like to be Amish, hoping that my profession of journalism might grant me an opportunity to live life--even just temporarily--among the Amish.
While that has never happened, I have been able to get a closer look into the life of the plain people by Ira Wagler's memoir, Growing Up Amish. Indeed, Wagler did grow up Amish, but after two decades of wrestling with his peoples' ways, finally left the fold.
I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from Tyndale House Publishers and read it within days of starting. It was captivating as it drew me into his lifestyle and all the heartaches it wreaked for Wagler as he shares how he struggled with his desire to remain with the community he loved and his desire for freedom outside the faith's strict rules.
Wagler's first-person account peels away the facade of piety that we usually imagine when we think of the Amish. They are not perfect, and he showcases many instances that remind us that we are all human, even the Amish. Filled with raw emotion and honesty, Growing Up Amish is a riveting and heart-wrenching tale of life inside this close-knit group of believers. -
LehrerinRoxboro, NCAge: 35-44Gender: Female4 Stars Out Of 5Fascinating coming-of-age story!June 16, 2011LehrerinRoxboro, NCAge: 35-44Gender: FemaleQuality: 4Value: 4Meets Expectations: 5This review was written for Growing Up Amish: A Memoir.Growing Up Amish tells the story of Ira Wagler's early years. Wagler was born into an Old Order Amish family but felt pulled into the English world from a young age. Over the course of a decade, Wagler left the church several times, only to return when the guilt of leaving became too much. This book tells the tale of how he came to make his final decision and the events that affected him along the way.
Wagler's story is fascinating. I read the entire thing in one sitting because I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next. His writing style flows well and is easy to read, and he has definitely mastered the art of putting a cliffhanger sentence at the end of each chapter. Amish customs are explained in a way that makes the story easy to understand when explanations are necessary - without turning the book into a how-to about Amish life.
My only complaint about this book is that it ended too soon. While the point of the book is to show how and why Wagler chose as he did, it ended without discussing the repercussions of his ultimate choice - something that I feel would have made it stronger. Some of Wagler's major life decisions since that time also reflect an indomitable will and creative spirit. Showing how his background affected these choices would have added something special, and this could surely have been done without getting overly personal.
If you have always wanted to know more about the Amish, you will definitely learn more about their trials and their faith from this book. Wagler's struggle is, of course, well laid out, so you will not get the rosy picture presented in many Amish culture books. Because this has such a distinct point of view, it may not make the best first introduction to the Amish faith, but it resonates with anyone who has ever struggled to belong or has more than a passing familiarity with the Amish.
I received a free copy of this book from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for an honest review. -
JenniferWest VirginiaAge: 35-44Gender: female4 Stars Out Of 5Leaving the AmishJune 14, 2011JenniferWest VirginiaAge: 35-44Gender: femaleQuality: 4Value: 4Meets Expectations: 4This review was written for Growing Up Amish: A Memoir.I felt a more appropriate name for "Growing Up Amish" would have been "Leaving the Amish". I expected this memoir to be more about experiences as the author was a child, but I felt that instead he focused on the experience of trying to leave the Amish Church. Even so, it was an enjoyable read into the life of a culture that while they may live near me, I know little about them.
Ira Wagler was born in Canada as an Amish child. He recounts the moves, why they moved, and how the different Amish districts and bishops differed in what they allowed. The world was calling to him, and although he was afraid of what might happen if he left the Amish Church (meaning he would go to hell), the allure of the world beckoned.
He recounts tales of youthful reckless stunts and jobs across the western United States and into Canada.
He returns to the Amish Church. He gets baptized as a full member. His engagement is thought to be enough to settle him down. But it wasn't. He leaves. And returns. And leaves for good.
I appreciated he voiced his struggles. The Amish culture is all he knew growing up. Of course it has it's attractions, but so does the world with it's pick up trucks, radios, and blue jeans.
It may be considered another "Coming of Age" memoir, but this one is very different than any I've ever read. It is a good book, and I definitely enjoyed it.
FTC disclaimer: I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for a review. The opinions expressed about it are my own. -
Pam BurkePotosi, MOAge: 55-65Gender: Female4 Stars Out Of 5A Memoir of Great StrugglesJune 9, 2011Pam BurkePotosi, MOAge: 55-65Gender: FemaleQuality: 4Value: 4This review was written for Growing Up Amish: A Memoir.Growing Up Amish by Ira Wagler is a memoir by a man who grew up in an Amish family and struggled for years before finally leaving the church at the age of 26. Ira left the Amish lifestyle multiple times over a period of about ten years, but was drawn back repeatedly because of his fear of being eternally lost if he remained outside the church. It was only after coming to a personal relationship with Christ and gaining peace about his spiritual condition that he was able to finally give in to the yearnings he had for life outside the box he had felt confined in.
Because of my interest and enjoyment in reading Amish fiction and learning more of the plain lifestyle, I was intrigued by the details of Amish workings from a non-fiction perspective. However, the author's story was so full of hurt and defeat -- his own and others -- that I felt almost depressed by the time I finished the book. I did appreciate the fact that while he disagreed with much about the lifestyle of the people he left behind, Ira did not "bash" the individuals or put them down as a whole. This is definitely not a "feel-good" story; rather it is a difficult look at a troubled season of life.
(Tyndale House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for my honest review.)
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