Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up-Through narration as well as the testimony of anthropologists, historians, and present and past Amish family members, this Christian subculture is explained and its beliefs are documented. The motto of living to serve God is clearly exhibited by the lifestyle and practices of the Amish. They don't believe that municipal governments can require them to obtain building permits or send their children to school beyond a certain grade. Amish have been prosecuted for breaking these and other civil laws. Until 50 years ago, most Amish lived and worked on farms and many believe that being close to the earth brings them close to God. As America became industrialized, the Amish men began working in "English" businesses and factories. Some Amish churches have moved their entire community west to find cheap land where they can, once again, live off the land. The film also documents the Nickel Mines incident in which an intruder shot ten Amish school girls, killing five of them, and then killed himself. The Amish community demonstrated their forgiveness by visiting the assailants family and attending his funeral. The flip side of this forgiveness is the shunning of children who leave the Amish community. The nine chapter divisions allow teachers to select segments to show during a class period. Although the program is slow-moving, it would be a valuable resource for classes in religion and American history.-Ann Weber, Bellarmine College Prep., San Jose, CA (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
