The most recommended Amish books

Who picked these books? Meet our 22 experts.

22 authors created a book list connected to Amish, and here are their favorite Amish books.
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Book cover of New York Amish: Life in the Plain Communities of the Empire State

Jonathan T. Jefferson Author Of Echoes from the Farm

From my list on rural life in upstate New York.

Why am I passionate about this?

Born in 1969 as the seventh of eight children to two Harlem-raised parents, I benefited from both the inner-city life of Queens, New York and childhood summers spent on a farm in rural upstate New York. Academic, professional, and physical accomplishments have punctuated my life. An adventurer by nature, I became the first African American to hike to the top of every mountain in the northeast US over 4,000' (115 of them) by September of 2000. At that time, less than 400 people had accomplished this feat; whereas thousands have scaled Mount Everest. My home city’s iconic landmarks create a psychological veil that blinds people to the vast open spaces that dominate New York State. 

Jonathan's book list on rural life in upstate New York

Jonathan T. Jefferson Why did Jonathan love this book?

I first saw Amish people in New York during the mid-1970s while spending summers on my family’s abandoned dairy farm in St. Lawrence County. We (Jeffersons) arrived in 1972, and a Swartzentruber Amish community settled nearby in 1974. Although we overlapped with our simply living county neighbors for ten summers (my parents sold our farm in 1985), I knew very little about them. This book provides readers with a college-level education on the inception, migration, internal conflicts, socioeconomic and sociopolitical lives of the Amish.

By Karen M. Johnson-Weiner,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked New York Amish as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In a book that highlights the existence and diversity of Amish communities in New York State, Karen M. Johnson-Weiner draws on twenty-five years of observation, participation, interviews, and archival research to emphasize the contribution of the Amish to the state's rich cultural heritage. While the Amish settlements in Pennsylvania and Ohio are internationally known, the Amish population in New York, the result of internal migration from those more established settlements, is more fragmentary and less visible to all but their nearest non-Amish neighbors. All of the Amish currently living in New York are post-World War II migrants from points to…


Book cover of Hometown

Lynn Griffin Author Of Secrets, Shame, and a Shoebox

From my list on historical romance to curl up on the sofa with.

Why am I passionate about this?

They say your childhood shapes your life. By the time I reached thirteen, work began to teach me how to survive. After working a wide range of jobs, I ended up teaching students aged from fifteen to fifty. It was a joy. They opened my eyes. They were my inspiration. They kept me writing around the paid job. I was there to teach them, but I also learned from them. They gave me another special gift. To share their truly amazing stories with you.   

Lynn's book list on historical romance to curl up on the sofa with

Lynn Griffin Why did Lynn love this book?

Wendy Rich Stetson has an easy style of writing that settles you straight into the story. Reading a saga like this, especially having a good dash of romance and intrigue left me with the good feel factor. 

After watching the film, The Witness, I always had the urge to find out more about Amish life and what really makes them tick. I wasn’t disappointed. Hometown centres on three people and someone’s heart will surely be broken. I absolutely loved it. I recommend you put this on your reading list.

By Wendy Rich Stetson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Hometown as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

When Tessa's big-city plans take the A Train to disaster, she lands in her sleepy hometown, smack in the middle of the
most unlikely love triangle ever to hit Pennsylvania's Amish Country.

Hot-shot Dr. Richard Bruce is bound to Green Ridge by loyalty that runs deep. Deeper still is Jonas Rishel's tie to the land and his family's Amish community. Behind the wheel of a 1979 camper van, Tessa idles at a fork in the road. Will she cruise the superhighway to the future? Or take a slow trot to the past and a mysterious society she never dreamed she'd…


Book cover of Plain Truth

Rachel J. Good Author Of Buried Secrets

From my list on realistic and heart-wrenching Amish stories.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always been drawn to realistic stories of moral dilemmas, hidden secrets, and unexpected twists. To do that in my novels, I draw from real-life experiences. I enjoy researching all my book locations and situations—everything from Amish special needs schools to Amish camel farms. Striving to be as authentic as possible, I spend time with my Amish friends, so the problems my characters face often are based on real-life events they’ve faced, and I have an Amish reader who checks the novels accuracy as I strive to write life-changing, heart-tugging novels of faith, hope, and forgiveness.

Rachel's book list on realistic and heart-wrenching Amish stories

Rachel J. Good Why did Rachel love this book?

Told by an outsider, lawyer Ellie Hathaway, who left the Amish community years ago, Picoult immerses us in a stunning and heartbreaking story of a young Amish girl accused of murdering her newborn.

I admire the amount of research Picoult did to stay true to many of the Amish traditions, but she also spins a mesmerizing tale that captivated me emotionally and provided many twists and turns, including an unexpected and shocking reveal at the end. The story left many haunting moral questions that lingered long after I finished the book.

By Jodi Picoult,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Plain Truth as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the bestselling author of My Sister's Keeper comes the riveting story of a murder that shatters the picturesque calm of Amish country -- and tests the heart and soul of the lawyer defending the woman at the center of the storm.

The discovery of a dead infant in an Amish barn shakes Lancaster County to its core. But the police investigation leads to a more shocking disclosure: circumstantial evidence suggests that eighteen-year-old Katie Fisher, an unmarried Amish woman believed to be the newborn's mother, took the child's life. When Ellie Hathaway, a disillusioned big-city attorney, comes to Paradise, Pennsylvania,…


Book cover of Spiritual Midwifery

Robbie Davis-Floyd Author Of Birth as an American Rite of Passage

From my list on childbirth in the US from a childbirth expert.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a medical/reproductive anthropologist, and my passion for this topic stems from my own two birth experiences: one was an unnecessary cesarean which left me with PTSD, and the other was a vaginal birth at home, which left me feeling empowered—if I could do that, I could do anything! After my first birth, I started asking other women about their birth experiences, and came up with the question that guided my PhD research and became the subject of my first book, Birth as an American Rite of Passage. Given that birth is so unique for every woman, why is it treated in such standardized, non-evidence-based ways in US hospitals? 

Robbie's book list on childbirth in the US from a childbirth expert

Robbie Davis-Floyd Why did Robbie love this book?

I love this book because it was the very first to talk about spirit and energy in the birth process. In it, world-famous midwife Ina May Gaskin describes how she learned about births from attending them, later studying with a doctor. She describes many births on the farm in which she and her midwifery colleagues learned that birth is a spiritual process that is deeply affected by the energy in the room. They learned to "suss out" that energy and to send people with negative energy out of the birthing room. And they learned that if you change the energy in positive ways, you also change the outcome of the birth in positive ways. In other words, change the energy = change the outcome!

By Ina May Gaskin,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Spiritual Midwifery as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Here is the 4th edition of the classic book on home birth that introduced a whole generation of women to the concept of natural childbirth. Back again are even more amazing birthing tales, including those from women who were babies in earlier editions and stories about Old Order Amish women attended by the Farm midwives.

Also new is information about the safety of techniques routinely used in hospitals during and after birth, information on postpartum depression and maternal death, and recent statistics on births managed by The Farm Midwives.

From the amazing birthing tales to care of the newborn, Spiritual…


Book cover of The Hidden One

Karl Milde Author Of The Road Ranger

From my list on keeping you riveted until the very end.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have SB degrees in physics and electrical engineering from M.I.T. and a JD degree from the Georgetown University Law Center. I’m interested in how things work and how people think. I’ve written four novels, published countless articles, as well as many children’s stories. A few of them may be found on my author’s website

Karl's book list on keeping you riveted until the very end

Karl Milde Why did Karl love this book?

Linda Castillo is a master of the Amish whodunnit, having written fifteen books in a series staged in Amish country and culture. I’ve read five of them. Her characters are vivid and come alive on the page. The Hidden One, this latest “novel of suspense,” is written in the first person by her protagonist, Kate Burkholder, Chief of Police in Painters Mill, Ohio. Before you realize it, you are in Kate’s mind, trying to make sense of the many clues—bits and pieces of information—that make up a mosaic. All this is delivered up in what I would venture to say is a “woman writer’s touch”—with sensitivity and a warm heart.

By Linda Castillo,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Hidden One as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The discovery of an Amish bishop's remains leads chief of police Kate Burkholder to unearth a chilling secret in The Hidden One, a new thriller from bestselling author Linda Castillo.

Over a decade ago, beloved Amish bishop Ananias Stoltzfus disappeared without a trace. When skeletal remains showing evidence of foul play are unearthed, his disappearance becomes even more sinister.

The town’s elders arrive in Painters Mill to ask chief of police Kate Burkholder for help, but she quickly realizes she has a personal connection to the crime. The handsome Amish man who stands accused of the murder, Jonas Bowman, was…


Book cover of More Than Happy: The Wisdom of Amish Parenting

Katie Ely Author Of Parenting with Focus

From my list on old-fashioned traditional parenting for Christians.

Why am I passionate about this?

When I had my twin boys 29 years ago, I started reading every parenting book I could. I was shocked at what I felt was really bad advice. It was permissive, indulgent, and lacked instilling virtues. It was then that I birthed the idea of writing parenting books with traditional Christian principles. Since then, I’ve spent the last 28 years learning all I could about raising well-behaved children. I also have done much research on the harmful effects of screen time on children. Other works include Rubric Rules: A Cleaning System for Kids and The Parenting with Focus Video Course.

Katie's book list on old-fashioned traditional parenting for Christians

Katie Ely Why did Katie love this book?

Serena Miller is one of my favorite fiction writers. However, once when researching to write a novel based on the Amish, she couldn’t help notice that the Amish had the happiest, nicest children she had ever seen. So, she changed from writing a fictional novel to writing a book about how the Amish parent.

I recommend this book because it reminds you that your children don’t need video games, smartphones, or tablets to entertain themselves. The Amish children can easily, happily entertain themselves with very few simple toys. And they know how to cook and do practical skills as small children. Great inspiration.

By Serena B. Miller, Paul Stutzman,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked More Than Happy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In the tradition of Bringing Up Bebe and Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, an in-depth look at the practices and principles of Amish parents and how they raise children who are self-sufficient, hard-working, and remarkably happy.

The more time Serena Miller spent in Holmes County, Ohio, doing research for her popular Amish novels, the more she began to notice something-Amish children were the happiest children she'd ever seen. Despite not having modern toys and conveniences, they are joyful, serene, calm, and respectful-not to mention whipping up full meals and driving buggies before most of us will allow our children…


Book cover of An Evil Heart

Elena Taylor Author Of All We Buried: A Sheriff Bet Rivers Mystery

From my list on female sleuths in small, rural towns.

Why am I passionate about this?

I started reading crime fiction when I was a very young child. My granny introduced me to mysteries through authors like Tony Hillerman, who wrote books set in the Four Corners region of the American Southwest. That early introduction into mysteries set in small towns and rural areas stuck. My books also focus on smaller towns and rural areas, which I love to visit through fiction or in real life. I have often made my home in a small town and work as a crime fiction author and a developmental editor, so I have an eye for both solid mysteries and life in a rural community.

Elena's book list on female sleuths in small, rural towns

Elena Taylor Why did Elena love this book?

I loved how this book immerses the reader in the Amish community. Not only is it set in a small, rural town, but it’s also centered around an insular subgroup in that area. Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is a character I truly admire.

She’s tough and smart but also struggles with her own personal issues, making her an authentic character that I can relate to. I love this series and can’t wait to read more.

By Linda Castillo,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked An Evil Heart as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Chief of Police Kate Burkholder investigates the brutal death of a young Amish man in An Evil Heart, the latest installment of the bestselling series by Linda Castillo.

On a crisp autumn day in Painters Mill, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder responds to a call only to discover an Amish man who has been violently killed with a crossbow, his body abandoned on a dirt road. Aden Karn was just twenty years old, well liked, and from an upstanding Amish family. Who would commit such a heinous crime against a young man whose life was just beginning?

The more Kate…


Book cover of Thrill of the Chaste: The Allure of Amish Romance Novels

Janelle Diller Author Of Never Enough Flamingos

From my list on those quirky Mennonites.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was born and raised in Kansas and will forever have a soft spot in my heart for golden wheat fields, sunflower-filled ditches, and sunsets that explode colors on the horizon. I always knew I’d write a book set in Kansas, and I’d explore my long Mennonite linage and its seemingly unrealistic theology. Pacifism is a beautiful concept until you’re faced with protecting the people you love. As I grew older, I became more curious about larger, practical questions. It’s one thing to be a conscientious objector to war. It’s another thing to confront the cosmically dark evil of your neighbor. From that, Never Enough Flamingos was born.

Janelle's book list on those quirky Mennonites

Janelle Diller Why did Janelle love this book?

Full confession here. I’m not a big romance reader and so I’m baffled by why Mennonite/Amish mystery romances are such a huge genre. Maybe it’s the perceived simplicity and innocence of the sect? Maybe they take people back to a time they never experienced themselves? That’s why I found Weaver-Zercher’s book helpful in clarifying why so many people love these books. Her writing is witty and engaging and kept me reading even though the subject itself is on the academic side. If you do want to explore the genre, the best source for a recommendation is the podcast Just Plain Wrong where three Mennonite librarians irreverently dissect Mennonite romances on a weekly basis.

By Valerie Weaver-Zercher,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Thrill of the Chaste as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Browse the inspirational fiction section of your local bookstore, and you will likely find cover after cover depicting virtuous young women cloaked in modest dresses and wearing a pensive or playful expression. They hover innocently above sun-drenched pastures or rustic country lanes, often with a horse-drawn buggy in the background-or the occasional brawny stranger. Romance novels with Amish protagonists, such as the best-selling trailblazer "The Shunning" by Beverly Lewis, are becoming increasingly popular with a largely evangelical female audience. "Thrill of the Chaste" is the first book to analyze this growing trend in romance fiction and to place it into…


Book cover of American Ramble: A Walk of Memory and Renewal

Dean Calbreath Author Of The Sergeant: The Incredible Life of Nicholas Said: Son of an African General, Slave of the Ottomans, Free Man Under the Tsars, Hero of the Union Army

From my list on a fresh takes on the Civil War.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been fascinated by the Civil War ever since I was a kid, traipsing through battlefields and digging up old Minie balls and bullets from the backyard where my dad played when he was younger. The war was America’s defining moment, in many ways more important than the Revolution itself, setting the stage for our continuing evolution as a nation. But often, the history we’re taught is incomplete and imperfect. As a journalist who’s done some prize-winning investigative work, I like to use those skills to peel away the cobwebs of history to find the untold stories that are too often hidden from view.

Dean's book list on a fresh takes on the Civil War

Dean Calbreath Why did Dean love this book?

This is not really a Civil War book, but a meditation on how history (including the Civil War and Reconstruction) impacts our culture today, penned by a journalist hiking the 200+ miles from Washington, D.C., to New York City.

Beautifully written, with a gentle conversational tone, I felt like I was hiking along with him as he talked about the scenery, history, philosophy, and his own impending sense of mortality (the hike was during a respite from a long-running bout with cancer). One of the best books I’ve read in a long time.

By Neil King,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked American Ramble as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

“American Ramble is a dazzling mixture of travelogue, memoir, and history. At times profound, funny, and heartbreaking, this is the story of a traveler intoxicated by life. I couldn’t put it down.” — Nathaniel Philbrick

A stunning, revelatory memoir about a 330-mile walk from Washington, D.C., to New York City—an unforgettable pilgrimage to the heart of America across some of our oldest common ground. 

Neil King Jr.’s desire to walk from Washington, D.C., to New York City began as a whim and soon became an obsession. By the spring of 2021, events had intervened that gave his desire greater urgency.…


Book cover of Liberating Lomie: Memoir of an Amish Childhood

Rachel J. Good Author Of Buried Secrets

From my list on realistic and heart-wrenching Amish stories.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always been drawn to realistic stories of moral dilemmas, hidden secrets, and unexpected twists. To do that in my novels, I draw from real-life experiences. I enjoy researching all my book locations and situations—everything from Amish special needs schools to Amish camel farms. Striving to be as authentic as possible, I spend time with my Amish friends, so the problems my characters face often are based on real-life events they’ve faced, and I have an Amish reader who checks the novels accuracy as I strive to write life-changing, heart-tugging novels of faith, hope, and forgiveness.

Rachel's book list on realistic and heart-wrenching Amish stories

Rachel J. Good Why did Rachel love this book?

As I experience secondhand the wrenching and difficult decision by an Amish family I know to leave the faith, Saloma Miller Furlong’s memoir of her own leaving rings true. But her tale is also marked by shocking secrets and terrible suffering.

She writes openly of her raw and painful emotions and the powerlessness of living in an abusive home, yet she lightens the heaviness with sweet moments of beauty and simplicity. I admire her courageousness in escaping the brutality as well as her unflinching honesty in revealing the chilling truths of her life, and the heartbreaking, but liberating, decision to leave the only life she’d ever known.

This true story is not an easy read, but I’m grateful she shared her struggles and gave others permission to share theirs.