Christian Fiction Reader Recommendations

What 4 books would I recommend to my reader: I read the Covenant by Beverly Lewis, the first in the series.

(fiction) 1: If the reader enjoyed the Lewis book and in particular this series, I would certainly recommend the next book in that series or all the 5 books in the series.

(ficiton) 2: If she liked the writing but wanted to try something else -- not about the Amish, I could recommend other Lewis books/series.

(fiction choices 3 & 4) If she liked the Amish, I would recommend the following 2 authors based on LJ: Kim Vogel Sawyer and Wanda Brunstetter. There are a number of books to try, including series to try. Where the Heart Leads may resonate with the reader of the Covenant because of plot, in which two of the sisters take different paths in terms of choices related to their religion and Amish culture -- whether to stay or go out among "the English."

From Christian Fiction
By Tamara Butler -- Library Journal, 9/1/2008:

"Sawyer, Kim Vogel. Where the Heart Leads. Bethany. Sept. 2008. c.352p. ISBN 978-0-7642-0263-6. pap. $13.99. CF

Featuring characters from Waiting for Summer's Return and set in the early 20th century, Sawyer's new novel follows Thomas Ollenburger as he graduates from college and has to decide whether to return to his Mennonite roots in Kansas or build his future in Boston. Making his choices more difficult are the two girls he cares about in each place. Thomas will need to rely on his God to help him make the biggest decision of his young life. Along with Beverly Lewis and Wanda E. Brunstetter, Sawyer is one of the top authors writing about Amish and Mennonite cultures, and she clearly portrays the positive and negative elements of living in strict observance of their beliefs. Recommended for public libraries."

nonfiction recommendation (1):
Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy.
Kraybill, Donald B. (author) and Steven M. Nolt (author) and others.
Sept. 2007. 288p. Wiley,
If the reader is interested in current events related to the Amish, I would recommend this book although make clear what it is about - the tragic deaths of real Amish schoolchildren. And let the reader read thru the following review: Booklist
Review of 9/1/2007 by June Sawyers:
Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy.
Kraybill, Donald B. (author) and Steven M. Nolt (author) and others.
Sept. 2007. 288p. Wiley, hardcover, $24.95 (0-7879-9761-7). 364.152.
REVIEW. First published September 1, 2007 (Booklist).
Review of 9/1/2007 by June Sawyers:

The crime—shooting innocent schoolchildren in a one-room schoolhouse—was shockingly vicious. More shocking, virtually incredible, was where it happened, in the heart of Pennsylvania’s Amish country, commonly associated with bucolic tranquility, not gun violence. This remarkable book explains, exceedingly well, Amish reaction to the horrific Nickel Mines shootings. The outside world was gravely taken aback by the Amish response of forgiveness. Some in the media criticized the Amish as naive and hypocritical (didn’t they shun members of their own community?), but most simply couldn’t understand the Amish concept of forgiveness as unmerited gift. How could they forgive humanly embodied evil? The authors, all authorities on Amish culture, emphasize that the Amish response reflected the sect’s heritage and deeply embedded faith. They distinguish forgiveness from pardon and reconciliation. Forgiveness relinquishes the right to vengeance, while pardon forfeits punishment altogether, and reconciliation restores the relationship of victim and offender or creates a new one. They discuss the shooting mercifully straightforwardly before exploring the broader perspectives of forgiveness and concluding with reflections on the meaning of forgiveness. At times difficult to read, this anguished and devastating account of a national tragedy and a hopeful, life-affirming lesson in how to live is itself a marvel of grace.

This second book, Plain Secrets, might be more appealing to readers interested in the Amish but not want to read the book mentioned above about the killing of children. I think Plain Secrets would be a book I would enjoy:
Plain Secrets: An Outsider among the Amish.
Mackall, Joe (author).
June 2007. 256p. Beacon, hardcover, $24.95 (9780807010648). 289.7.

Again with a review by June Sawyers, 6/1/2007, Booklist:

As this wonderful and enlightening book makes clear, the Amish are hardly a monolithic group. Actually, there are many different orders of Amish. The decidedly non-Amish Mackall has lived among the Swartzentruber Amish of Ashland County, Ohio, for more than 16 years. The Swartzentruber are considered the most conservative Amish, eschewing gas, electricity, and indoor plumbing. Even their ubiquitous buggies are driven without lights. Over the years, Mackall developed a friendship with the Shetler family, and Plain Secrets is an affectionate portrait of a family as well as a way of life. Some stereotype and romanticize the Amish, saying they represent an ideal, preindustrial American community. Others sensationalize them as backward religious fanatics. Mackall knows the Shetlers as persons, not cardboard figures, and he has readers get to know them as persons, too. His is hardly black-and-white portraiture. The Amish he writes about are as complex and flawed as any non-Amish. Although he admires their connection to the land and devotion to family, he is conflicted about the future of Amish girls, who live under a resolutely patriarchal household regime, in particular. This is a loving portrait, warts and all, of an often-misunderstood people.

— June Sawyers

P.S. I found these 2 titles by doing an Advanced search in Booklist Online, searching Amish, nonfiction, adult and starred review.


Also for nonfiction: I would pull these books for the person to look at if he/she was interested in the Amish in Wisconsin: I found them by searching Amish and Wisconsin in our webcat. I also see they are by one publisher, which I should investigate.

Amish assimilation : a changing culture / Richard Dawley.
New Berlin, Wis. : Amish Insight, c2007.

Amish journey in contentment : an anecdotal journal / Richard Lee Dawley.
New Berlin, Wis. : Amish Insight, c2005.

Amish in Wisconsin : an anecdotal journal / Richard Lee Dawley.
New Berlin, Wis. : Amish Insight, c2003.