Reviews for An Amish Paradox: Diversity and Change in the World's Largest Amish Community

The average rating for An Amish Paradox: Diversity and Change in the World's Largest Amish Community based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2013-06-15 00:00:00 Jon Stran Ever since I first heard about this book, I've been meaning to read it, and I'm glad I finally did. Well-researched and well-written, this is an important book because it is the first of its kind to look at the largest Ohio Amish community (what is often called the Holmes County community, though it encompasses several other counties). Books have been written about the better-known Lancaster Amish community in Pennsylvania, which is a very different community. Holmes County has possibly the most diverse Amish population of Amish in given area. Most of this diversity is caused by church splits - both in the past and presently. Hurst and McConnell explore many issues that are presented in a balanced way. These issues include diversity, technology, religious practices, education, and occupation. Having grown up in a different Amish community in Ohio, I was aware of Holmes County, but it took until many years after leaving the Amish for me to realize how diverse the Amish really are. It may also be true that this diversity is increasing as the Amish population increases and new "daughter" settlements are established in new places. I hope that Hurst and McConnell will update this book. The Holmes County Amish community is changing so rapidly, that certain parts of the book become outdated quickly. For instance, when they published this book there were three different Swartzentruber divisions and now there are five with another split happening (which will make six). For anyone wanting to learn about Ohio's largest Amish community (it may be that it is also the largest Amish community, but that keeps changing between Holmes and Lancaster), this is a comprehensive look at that community.

Review # 2 was written on 2010-08-25 00:00:00 James Green I'm really enjoying this look at the Ohio Amish community. Since I'm from Pennsylvania, I'm far more familiar with the Amish where I live. Interesting to see that there are differences.