My Amish Life

A memoir of a formerly Amish Ohio woman who grew up in an abusive home: Rebecca tells of her painful past, her primitive upbringing, and her decision to leave the Old Order Amish lifestyle. Led by faith in God and a desire to find freedom and truth, Rebecca and her husband left behind friends, family, and everything she knew. With the help of God and Christian friends, they began a faith-filled, inspiring journey they will never regret.

There are two ways to leave the Amish—one is through life and the other through death. When Saloma Miller Furlong’s father dies during her first semester at Smith College, she returns to the Amish community she had left twenty four years earlier to attend his funeral. Her journey home prompts a flood of memories. Now a mother with grown children of her own, Furlong recalls her painful childhood in a family defined by her father’s mental illness, her brother’s brutality, her mother’s frustration, and the austere traditions of the Amish—traditions Furlong struggled to accept for years before making the difficult decision to leave the community. In this personal and moving memoir, Furlong traces the genesis of her desire for freedom and education and chronicles her conflicted quest for independence. Eloquently told, Why I Left the Amish is a revealing portrait of life within—and without—this frequently misunderstood community.

Disagreeing with the beliefs of Amish traditions and upbringing, the pressure became too much for her to bear. Forced to make a personal decision, Emma found the courage to leave the only life she had ever known. She had no idea the emotional turmoil she'd inflict on her family and friends.

Life after Leaving my Amish World gives the reader an idea of what a struggle it is to break away from the Amish community to follow their own convictions in Christianity. When Eirene Eicher leaves her Amish community with her five sons, the boys are shunned along with her and experience the pain of rejection at a very young age, causing them to be disenchanted with the entire Amish world. In her first book, Leaving my Amish World, Eirene's young, carefree Amish life comes to an abrupt halt when she gets pregnant at the young age of 16 and marries a man whose life is controlled by an addiction. Eirene has no idea of the struggle that was in store for her and her children as she navigates through the wilderness of life. Eirene bravely leaves the Amish with her sons and faces the unknown as a mother of seven sons total, overcoming challenges as she navigates this new world. What lies ahead for her and her family? Find out in Life After Leaving my Amish World. Eirene's victory shows our God's faithfulness! Her God did not let her down. "This is a wonderfully written book and as she continues her story from her first book. It is hard to put down! Follow Eirene on her life journey and learn truths about the Amish people and their ways." -Rebecca Strong, Amazon Reviewer "Eirene's writing will pull you in and keep you up all night reading. Leaving my Amish Word was hard to put down!" -Ashley Emma, USA Today Bestselling Amish Fiction Author

"After three hours of chores, breakfast, phone calls, and getting mail ready, it was 9:30 by the time I got to sewing. I sewed three blouses before noontime." As an Amish wife and mother of six, Lena Yoder has plenty of ways to fill her time. "I helped with the afternoon milking, baked two different kinds of cakes, made two pizzas, and got everybody ready to take supper to school for the teachers." But amid the endless tasks to complete and challenges to overcome, Lena's simple joy and deep faith are ever present in these brief, first-person accounts. "I am thoroughly enjoying these days at home...Our family is filled with love...I could never list everything I am thankful for." These unassuming glimpses of Amish life will touch your heart and inspire you to seek the simple things—a loving family, a good day's work, and a grateful heart.

At age twenty, Saloma Miller left behind her Amish community in Burton, Ohio, and boarded a night train for Vermont, where she knew no one. In this poignant coming-of-age memoir, Saloma’s new life of freedom includes work as a waitress and plans to continue her education. Romance also blossoms with a Yankee toymaker. Soon, however, a vanload of people from her community, including the Amish bishop, arrive to take her back into the fold. Saloma’s freedom comes to an abrupt end when she goes back home to Ohio with them. Thus begins a years-long struggle of feeling torn between two worlds: will she remain Amish and embrace the sense of belonging and community her Amish life offers, or will she return to the newfound freedom she tasted in Vermont? Saloma settles into teaching in an Amish school and does her best to fit back into Amish ways, but a legacy of childhood abuse, struggles with an eating disorder, and questions of identity plague her. Her ties to the outside world remain, mostly through the quiet perseverance of the toymaker from Vermont. He keeps sending her cards, never giving up hope that their love could survive the strain of living in two different worlds. Bonnet Strings by Saloma Miller Furlong offers a universal story of overcoming adversity and a rare look inside an Amish community. Readers of Amish fiction and viewers of the PBS documentaries such as The Amish and The Amish: Shunned will find in it a true story: of woundedness and healing, of doubt and faith, and of the often competing desires for freedom and belonging.

"The true story of one Amish family's journey to the Truth"--Cover.

Pregnant.Shunned.Heartbroken.This is Eirene's true story of how she left the Amish. Like most Amish children, Eirene had a carefree childhood in a tight-knit family life in the Old Order Amish community where she grew up Indiana. Though she had no indoor plumbing, no electricity, and no modern conveniences, her young life was full of joy. Horseback riding, reading, working with her father, and singing while making noodles and quilts with her sisters filled her days as she grew up. When Eirene becomes pregnant and marries at the tender age of 17, the harsh reality of her new life sets in. From getting snowed in by 10 feet of snow to carrying icy buckets of water inside just to make coffee or wash dishes, Eirene remains steadfast in providing the best care she can for her son. As she has four more children, her world revolves around them, and they bring her more joy than she could have ever imagined.Though she loves being a mother, and she loves her family, Eirene knows there has to be more to life than just being a housewife confined to her home with no money, no phone, and no transportation. Doesn't God have a bigger purpose for her? Wasn't she meant for more? When Eirene makes a Christian friend, she is hungry to learn more about the loving God who died for her and rose again, a God so unlike the one she'd learned about growing up Amish. Eirene knows God is calling her to leave so she can serve God. But is she willing to leave her family, her community, and everything she's ever known behind? Eirene prays that her story will be in encouragement to a struggling young mother out there wondering if life will ever change or get better.Please follow Eirene on Amazon to be notified of her new releases in the future.* "This book was so enthralling, I stayed up late into the night to find out what would happen next. Never before has a book taken me through such a roller coaster ride of emotions: suspense, anguish, sorrow, indignation, and joy. This woman's story touched my heart, and when she was hurt in the story, it was written so beautifully that I could feel her pain. Her story was so incredible, how she could still have such unwavering faith after everything that happened to her. So many things in this story were absolutely shocking and absolutely heart-wrenching, but there were also so many joyful parts that spoke of the cheerful memories of the author's childhood, and the close-knit Amish community. I am a true admirer of the Amish, but all Amish communities are different. We sometimes put the Amish on a pedestal, but they are human too, and also make mistakes just like us. This story was heartbreaking and raw, but most of all, it truly was inspirational. Once you start, you won't be able to put it down." -Ashley Emma, bestselling author of Undercover Amish, Amish Under Fire, and more