I enjoyed Inside the Simple Life by Susan Hougelman. I found Inside the Simple Life informative and thought provoking about the Amish Life. I think it would be an interesting and informative read for those interested in learning more about the Amish life and Faith. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this book. My review is also on Goodreads.

Inside the Simple Life by author Susan Hougelman is a close up look at the Amish culture. The author is an outsider, who has done business and developed friendships with local Amish communities over many years. She explained many things about their lifestyle in language that is easy to understand.

Sprinkled among the text are many delightful photos of buildings and activities that are familiar in the lives of the Amish. This would be a nice book for fans of Amish fiction who would like to know more about the culture, but it lacks the depth I wanted. It seemed to just skim the surface. If you don’t know about the Amish, this would be a nice place to begin. A copy was provided by NetGalley, and these are my honest thoughts.

What a difference between different communities. I want to take on some of the ideas Susan shared in the book and join her for a tour!

Inside the Simple Life: Finding Inspiration among the Amish by Susan Hougelman gives a look at the Amish through the eyes of an Englisher. We get to see the true sense of community. If someone is sick, for example, and they are unable to do their chores or plow their feeds. The rest of the community will help them. They will also provide meals, take care of their animals, do laundry, and clean their home. They will also help with the medical bills. If someone loses their barn or home, the community will come together to rebuild it. Susan Hougelman gives us an inside look at Amish life and shares her memories. There are beautiful photographs throughout the book as well. I enjoyed reading Susan Hougelman’s recollections as she met the Amish people in her area and developed relationships with them. We learn about some of the rules, rituals, and philosophies of the Amish in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania. I liked that while the Amish may dress differently and live differently from us, there are many similarities. The author’s writing style is like she is sitting next to me chatting. I can tell that Susan Hougelman respects the Amish and genuinely cares for them. Inside the Simple Life only portrays the positive side of the Amish. It is not a balanced perspective. I did find that there was some repetition of details. I would have liked the author provide information about the Amish that is not common knowledge. I think our society and families would be better if we adapted some of the ways of the Amish. Technology may help improve our lives in some ways, it can also be detrimental to families (less together time). Overall, I enjoyed reading Inside the Simple Life. Those readers who enjoy Amish fiction, will like getting to learn more about the Amish people of New Wilmington. Inside the Simple Life is an interesting book filled with the author’s reminiscences of how she started her business and got to know the Amish of New Wilmington.

I was driven to this book purely because of my curiosity with the way the Amish live their lives. Susan Hougelman has a really interesting perspective to share—she is an outsider who has been welcomed into the community because of the tours she gives to other people curious to see how the Amish live.

The book is essentially a collection of stories about the community Hougelman has gotten to know. These stories help paint a picture of how the Amish live—work days, school days, weddings, courting, and even how they handle death. One of the ways they glorify God is by making sure their community is strong.

There is a lot to learn here and the stories really are heartwarming. While I’m glad I didn’t get a history book about the Amish, I did find myself wanting more. About halfway in, the stories and their morals started to feel a bit repetitive. I wanted to know more about their struggle and about how they got to where they are. I’m assuming not all Amish communities function the way this one does.

While this book was a nice place to start in learning more about the Amish community (and I really appreciated the pictures throughout!), it didn’t dive in quite as deeply as I had hoped. Regardless, a very sweet read that we can all learn something from.

Thank you so much to both Herald Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this!

This was very interesting reading! It's a guide to Amish life and culture written by an outsider who has done business and developed relationships with her local Amish community over several years. Rules and rituals are explained, as well as general philosophies of life. The perspective is very religious. While it isn't exactly a balanced study (no mentions are made of any of the potential downsides or problematic elements of Amish culture) a great deal of respect and affection radiates from the text.

Accompanying the text are many lovely photographs of buildings and activities central to the lives of the author's friends. This would be great for fans of Amish fiction who would like to know more about the culture, but also for anyone who enjoys a peek behind the curtains of another world.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!