From Booklist
Garrett lifts the veil from one of the most private, most fascinating Christian sects, the Amish. The fifth of seven children, she grew up in Kalona, Iowa, as a member of the strict Old Order Amish, who owned no motor vehicles and went without electricity and telephones. Unthinkably for an Old Order Amish young woman, she fell in love with an outsider 15 years her senior. Worse, he was divorced, and wedding him was equivalent to adultery in the eyes of the Amish. But leaving the order was her most serious offense, and for it she suffered the severe consequence of being shunned by her home community. Garrett is exceedingly honest, unafraid to criticize what she considers rigid and hypocritical in Amish behavior. Her subsequent life among "the English," as the low German-speaking Amish call outsiders, makes a wonderful tale of self-discovery, as her relationship with her husband slowly blossoms. Moving and life-affirming, the book ends on a hopeful note as her family comes to grudgingly accept her difficult, life-altering decision. June Sawyers
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Book Description
Ruth Irene Garrett was the fifth of seven children raised in Kalona, Iowa as a member of a strict Old Order Amish community. She was brought up with rigid rules and intense secrecy in a world where the dress, buggies, codes of conduct, and way of life differed from that of other Amish societies a mere one hundred miles away. Her community uncompromisingly avoided all interaction with "the English" -- everyone who lived on the outside. As a result, Ruth knew only one way of life, one way of doing things.
This compelling true tale offers a striking look inside a hidden community as a woman comes to terms with her discontent and ultimately leaves her family, faith, and the sheltered world of her childhood. She bravely crosses over to a new and unfamiliar reality in hopes of better understanding her emotional and spiritual desires. The result is a powerful and inspiring story -- a search for meaning and the extraordinary lessons learned along the way.
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.
Crossing Over: One Woman's Escape from Amish Life FROM THE PUBLISHER
Ruth Irene Garrett was the fifth of seven children raised in Kalona, Iowa as a member of a strict Old Order Amish community. She was brought up with rigid rules and intense secrecy in a world where the dress, buggies, codes of conduct, and way of life differed from that of other Amish societies a mere one hundred miles away. Her community uncompromisingly avoided all interaction with "the English" -- everyone who lived on the outside. As a result, Ruth knew only one way of life, one way of doing things.
This compelling true tale offers a striking look inside a hidden community as a woman comes to terms with her discontent and ultimately leaves her family, faith, and the sheltered world of her childhood. She bravely crosses over to a new and unfamiliar reality in hopes of better understanding her emotional and spiritual desires. The result is a powerful and inspiring story -- a search for meaning and the extraordinary lessons learned along the way.
FROM THE CRITICS
AudioFile
A young woman who ran away from her Old Order family to marry the man she loved critiques the customs, beliefs, and childrearing practices of this ultra-strict Amish group. Raised on a farm in Iowa, Garrett briefly describes the history of the Amish and their way of life before relating how in 1996 she eloped with Ottie Garrrett and moved to Kentucky. The Old Order Amish, who fled religious persecution in Germany in the 18th century, do not own cars or use telephones or electricity. The women must wear long, dark dresses held together by pins (buttons are considered a sign of vanity) and cover their heads at all times. Education ends in the eighth grade; the children then work on the family farms. The religion preaches rigid adherence to the Bible (men are the head of the house, children must obey their parents) and punishes transgressors by shunning or excommunication. The fifth of seven children, 15-year-old Ruth met much older Ottie in 1989, when he came into town for a visit. Her grandfather asked the visitor to chauffeur the local Amish, who did not drive themselves but did take automobile trips to see families and sights. Recently graduated from school and determined not to marry an Amish manﾽshe saw her fatherﾽs dictatorial treatment of her mother as typicalﾽthe young girl was soon attracted to Ottie. The feeling was mutual, and they married in defiance of her family and the community, which called all outsiders "the English" and regarded them as depraved. Garrett describes her familyﾽs hurtful reactions and her halting adjustment to the outside world: she bought dresses without trying them on because she did not know that stores provided fitting rooms. Excommunicated by the Amish,she found in the local Lutheran church a warm welcome and a loving God. Simply told, more in sorrow than in anger: a personal chronicle of the darker side of faith and family. Film rights to CBS
Kirkus Reviews
A young woman who ran away from her Old Order family to marry the man she loved critiques the customs, beliefs, and childrearing practices of this ultra-strict Amish group. Raised on a farm in Iowa, Garrett briefly describes the history of the Amish and their way of life before relating how in 1996 she eloped with Ottie Garrrett and moved to Kentucky. The Old Order Amish, who fled religious persecution in Germany in the 18th century, do not own cars or use telephones or electricity. The women must wear long, dark dresses held together by pins (buttons are considered a sign of vanity) and cover their heads at all times. Education ends in the eighth grade; the children then work on the family farms. The religion preaches rigid adherence to the Bible (men are the head of the house, children must obey their parents) and punishes transgressors by shunning or excommunication. The fifth of seven children, 15-year-old Ruth met much older Ottie in 1989, when he came into town for a visit. Her grandfather asked the visitor to chauffeur the local Amish, who did not drive themselves but did take automobile trips to see families and sights. Recently graduated from school and determined not to marry an Amish manﾽshe saw her fatherﾽs dictatorial treatment of her mother as typicalﾽthe young girl was soon attracted to Ottie. The feeling was mutual, and they married in defiance of her family and the community, which called all outsiders "the English" and regarded them as depraved. Garrett describes her familyﾽs hurtful reactions and her halting adjustment to the outside world: she bought dresses without trying them on because she did not know that stores provided fitting rooms. Excommunicated by the Amish,she found in the local Lutheran church a warm welcome and a loving God. Simply told, more in sorrow than in anger: a personal chronicle of the darker side of faith and family. Film rights to CBS
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