The Plain Choice

The Plain Choice: A True Story of Choosing to Live an Amish Life is Sherry Gore's life memoir. She details how she came from having a troubled childhood, to becoming a Christian, to choosing to live the Amish lifestyle. I was super excited to read this book, because I've always been interested in the Amish and I know that it's extremely rare for any outsider to ever successfully join and be accepted by them. The book description reads:

"Raised in a broken family and emotionally overlooked, Sherry Gore grew up without a solid foundation, a prisoner of her own poor choices, and at times without hope. A series of terrible mistakes left her feeling wrecked and alone and a sudden tragedy threw Sherry into an emotional tailspin too powerful to escape.

Sherry hangs by a thread, unable to see how she can go on living, until it happens: on a morning of no particular significance, she walks into a church and BAM the truth of Jesus’ forgiving love shatters her world and cleaves her life in two: She goes to bed stunned; she wakes up a Christian.

Unwilling to return to the darkness of her former life, Sherry attacks her faith head on. Soon the life Sherry Gore remakes for herself and her children as she seeks to follow the teachings of the Bible features head coverings, simple dress, and a focus on Jesus Christ. Only then does she realize, in a fit of excitement, that there are others like her. They are called Amish and Mennonite, and she realizes she has found her people.

The plain choice that Sherry makes is not easy – and life still brings unexpected pain and heartache - but it changes everything for her, as she becomes one of the few people on earth to have successfully joined the Amish from the outside.

She has found her place. And her story proves that one can return from the darkest depths to the purest light with the power of God."

This is a super quick read, a very short book (192 pages). I was surprised at how short it was. However, it's concise and to the point. Sherry tells the story quickly and manages to condense it briefly into this small book. I was wondering how she allows photographs, computers, etc. and the answer is because she isn't Old Order Amish - she's actually Amish/Mennonite. So truly, we don't get a real look at the very secretive traditional Amish. However, this is still a fascinating look at the different groups of Amish people and how they differ from one another, and how they're similar. I truly enjoyed reading Sherry's story. I learned a lot and find it extremely interesting when people choose to join groups such as these. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys memoirs and/or the Amish/Mennonite lifestyle.

I received a copy of this book from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.