A Simply Enchanted Life

My Amish Childhood: A True Story of Faith, Family, and the Simple Life by Jerry S. Eicher

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was so pleasantly surprising for me…WOW! I’m honestly shocked because this is the first time I have ever made it through an autobiography! Not only did I make it through but I enjoyed it! This was also the first book that I have read by the author.

My mother has been bugging me for quite some time to pick up his books and I had been meaning to but I will admit that I was scared. It seems that male authors sometimes leave me feeling as if something is missing that connects with me as a woman. Not all male authors mind you—but it was still enough to scare me for a short time.

I should have put away my fears because I absolutely loved this book. I thought it was humorous at times, brutally honest and also touching. I’m giving 5 stars to this book and wish I could give an additional star for being the first autobiography that was written in a way that appealed to me.

This book is an autobiography of Amish writer, Jerry Eicher whom, as we find out in the book—grew up Amish! He was honest about his awkwardness and even about his mischievousness as a child which I found to be refreshing as I often think of Amish children having the idyllic life we read about in Amish fiction. In the grand scheme of things—Jerry had quite a bit of issues to overcome; an issue with stuttering and bouts of depression.

We also got an inside view of a new Amish community in a third world country and the struggles that they faced. I was really rooting for the community to succeed and was a little disappointed to find out that it had failed. It was on that note that the autobiography was wrapped up. I would really like to see how things unfold in the later years. I am assuming that he eventually left the Amish faith—I want to know these things! I guess I’m greedy and want more information as I really found the author’s life to be very intriguing. This book definitely gets two thumbs up for me for both wit and for the insightful spirituality. I have to say that Eicher’s account of his salvation is possibly one of the sweetest, honest and simplistic explanations that I have ever heard—and it was touching. I will definitely be reading more from this author!
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Jerry Eicher’s bestselling Amish fiction (more than 210,000 in combined sales) includes The Adams County Trilogy, the Hannah’s Heart books, and the Little Valley Series. After a traditional Amish childhood, Jerry taught for two terms in Amish and Mennonite schools in Ohio and Illinois. Since then he’s been involved in church renewal, preaching, and teaching Bible studies. Jerry lives with his wife, Tina Eicher, and their four children in Virginia.
I received this book free from the Author and Harvest House Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own