I have to agree with these words from William Wordsworth, “The world is too much with us; late and soon, Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;
Little we see in Nature that is ours; We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!”.

Because the world is too much with us we are escaping into books.  The “world” Wordsworth was addressing was the industrial revolution.  Our “world” is being blindsided by the technology revolution.  Perhaps this is the reason that the Amish have become a popular topic with authors, publishers and readers.  A culture most of us know very little about but perceive it to be calm, peaceful, forgiving, not dominated by machines or technology, and close to God.  Numerous authors who as far as I can tell are not nor have ever been Amish have chosen to set their stories in this setting.

When the English Fall – David Williams tells this story through the diary of an Amish farmer named Jacob as he tries to protect his family and his way of life, When the English Fall examines the idea of peace in the face of deadly chaos: Should members of a nonviolent society defy their beliefs and take up arms to defend themselves? And if they don’t, can they survive?

Sworn to Silence – Linda Castillo is the first of a series of 9 books set in the sleepy rural town of Painters Mill, Ohio, the Amish and “English” residents have lived side by side for two centuries. But sixteen years ago, a series of brutal murders shattered the peaceful farming community. Kate Burkholder, a young Amish girl, survived the terror of the Slaughterhouse Killer but came away from its brutality with the realization that she no longer belonged with the Amish. Now, a wealth of experience later, Kate has been asked to return to Painters Mill as Chief of Police. In these mysteries, Kate must seek out the truth in a society of silence—and face some secrets of her own.

A Killing in Amish Country – Gregg Olsen authors the sad but true story of Barb Raber who was raised Amish, but is now a Conservative Mennonite. She drove an Amish man Eli Weaver to appointments in her car, and she gave him what he wanted when he wanted: a cell phone, a laptop, rides to his favorite fishing and hunting places, and, most importantly, sex. When Eli starts asking people to kill his wife for him, Barb offers to help.  It was only the third murder in hundreds of years of Amish life in America, and it fell to Edna Boyle, a young assistant prosecutor to seek justice for Barbara Weaver.

Try as we might we can’t escape this world but you can always pick up a good book or download an eBook from the Lewistown Public Library.