An Amish Patchwork

Indiana is home to the world's third-largest Amish population. Indiana's 19Old Order Amish and two Old Order Mennonite communities show asurprising diversity despite all that unites them as a distinct culture. Thiscontemporary portrait of Indiana's Amish is the first book-length overview ofAmish in the state. Thomas J. Meyers and Steven M. Nolt present an overviewof the beliefs and values of the Amish, their migration history, and thedifferences between the state's two major Amish ethnic groups (PennsylvaniaDutch and Swiss). They also talk about Indiana's Old Order Mennonites, agroup too often confused with the Amish. Meyers and Nolt situate the Amishin their Indiana context, noting an involvement with Indiana's industrialeconomy that may surprise some. They also treat Amish interaction with stategovernment over private schooling and other matters, and the relationship ofthe Amish to their neighbors and the tourist industry. This valuableintroduction to the Indiana Amish deserves a place on every Hoosier'sbookshelf.Thomas J. Meyers, Professor of Sociology and Director of InternationalEducation at Goshen College, is author of numerous articles on the IndianaAmish and has conducted extensive field research among LaGrange andElkhart Amish groups. He lives in Goshen, Indiana.Steven M. Nolt, Associate Professor of History at Goshen College, is author ofAmish Enterprise: From Plows to Profits (with Donald Kraybill); A History ofthe Amish; Foreigners in Their Own Land: Pennsylvania Germans in the EarlyRepublic; and other publications on the Amish and Old Order groups. He livesin Goshen, Indiana.