Called To Be Amish by Marlene C. Miller

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review

Called to by Amish by Marlene C. Miller

Plainspoken #2

ISBN: 9780836199116

Trade Paperback - 256 pages

Synopsis:

Fewer than one hundred outsiders 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.

Review:

Let me start by saying this is a memoir and not a work of fiction. I enjoyed reading this story of how Marlene was called to be Amish. This book is filled with a lot of emotion. Reading about her childhood and all she went through and then how she chose to be Amish was a very interesting story.  I do not know if I could leave everything behind and turn to this way of living. I really felt for the author as a child, going through abuse and generally not having a happy childhood. This is a very deep book but easy to read. You will find yourself not wanting to put the book down as you want to see what Marlene is going to say next about her life. Her story is an encouraging one. I am glad I took the time to read this book.

About the author:

 Marlene C. Miller joined the Amish as an adult and has been a member of the Old Order Amish for almost 50 years. She and her husband of forty-eight years live on a farm in Ohio surrounded by their nine children, more than forty grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

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