# Amish Romance Books-Why? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 11, 2010, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-romance-books-why/539056 "2010-05-11T15:47:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2010, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-romance-books-why/539056/1 "2010-05-11T15:47:38Z")
Friends while browsing the book store the other day I have noticed an explosion in what only can be called "Amish Romance books. They all seem to have the same cover, a woman in a white bonnet with a vapid expression standing in a field. So what’s the deal with these books? Some hot amish action in the hay loft, safe no sex or passion relationships for the Christian market, threesomes with Jesus? There seems to be a never ending supply. Just who reads these and why. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2010, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-romance-books-why/539056/2 "2010-05-11T15:58:39Z")
\ Well, don’t the Amish have that spring thing where young folk can go hog wild etc? It’s supposed to get all that hot blood nice and cool once the youth come back to the fold (which some don’t). And weren’t the Amish the ones who came up with that practice of letting promised couples sleep in the same bed, but with a board (2x4) separating them? Can’t think of what either of those practices are called, but I can see story potential in both of them. Now, whether those bits are used as fodder for these books is another matter. I actually studied (briefly) the Hutterites and Mennonite communities for my Anthro class in college. (for some of my college, I attended U of Iowa, which has a significant Amish-like community nearby). This is where I learned of the above stuff which I am too lazy to google. Being in PA, you also have at least a minor subculture of them, too. Why don’t you read one of them and report back to us? That would make an interesting thread. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2010, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-romance-books-why/539056/3 "2010-05-11T16:02:57Z")
You might be thinking of Beverly Lewis. She’s one of my favorite authors: cheap, easy and undemanding. Her books are everywhere. You can read her prose in the tub or while watching Survivor and simply enjoy it without worrying about anything else. Amish romance is probably popular for the same reason that other romance genres are popular: an exotic culture with a hint of forbidden romance. I like historical novels for the same reason. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2010, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-romance-books-why/539056/4 "2010-05-11T16:18:12Z")
The going wild is called something like ‘rumpspringer’ and the board between the promised couples is called ‘bundling’. I say Amish romances are cropping up as a sort of new novelty - readers may be amazed, reading about life in a restrictive, strict society. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2010, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-romance-books-why/539056/5 "2010-05-11T16:27:27Z")
Are they handwritten on homemade paper? ---
**Author:** ![In\_Winnipeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a8b319/32.png) [@In\_Winnipeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Winnipeg)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2010, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-romance-books-why/539056/6 "2010-05-11T16:35:39Z")
Rumspringa (literally, “running around”) is the name of the time when the kids are allowed to run wild. Bundling originated either in the British Isles or in the Netherlands, although I have it on good authority that it was practiced in some areas of Scotland up into the early 60s (and may still be, for all I know). ---
**Author:** ![Jelly\_Roll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Jelly\_Roll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jelly_Roll)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2010, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-romance-books-why/539056/7 "2010-05-11T16:52:57Z")
My mom (who is 60 years old and very conservative) reads Beverly Lewis for the reasons mentioned above-she writes books that are easy to read and it gives my mother insight into the everyday lives of the Amish. We have an Amish community close to us and my mom is very interested in learning about them, but this particular Amish community is not exactly friendly to us “Englishers” so it’s hard to strike up a conversation to find out about their daily lives. (Which, by the way, I totally understand. There’s a fine line between being interested in a culture and ogling like they are a zoo exhibit.) Also, I suspect that if you are a conservative person who wants to read a romance, it may be hard to find a romance novel that isn’t just outright dirty. In one series that my mother read, an Amish girl gets pregnant out of wedlock, so there’s definitely forbidden sex in there somewhere, although I highly doubt there was a graphic or detailed description of it. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2010, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-romance-books-why/539056/8 "2010-05-11T17:42:07Z")
I’ve seen these at my library. They appear to be the fault of [Beth Wiseman.](http://www.amazon.com/Beth-Wiseman/e/B001JP7RNS/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1273599544&sr=8-2-ent) Here’s a synopsis of one of them: > [@](#): > > A search for peace in Amish country proves anything but simple for a woman on the run from life…and herself. On the rolling plains of Lancaster County, PA., Lillian Miller is searching for her grandparents’ house…and so much more. After years of neglect and abuse, she’s turning to a lifestyle of simplicity among the Amish to find herself. As she discards the distractions of her former life, she befriends the young boy working on her family’s farm and his attractive widowed father, Samuel Stoltzfus. Despite Lillian’s best efforts to the contrary, her feelings for Samuel–and his for her–deepen. Will Lillian find her faith in Plain living, or will she be forced to return to her former life? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2010, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-romance-books-why/539056/9 "2010-05-11T19:12:25Z")
They are all over the place here (Amish Central). They’re in racks wherever they sell PA Dutch or Amish souvenirs. When I first moved down here and saw them in the rack at the diner checkout, I almost fell on the floor laughing. ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2010, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-romance-books-why/539056/10 "2010-05-11T19:49:37Z")
**Why Amish romance novels?** Because Amish spy novels have all been flops. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2010, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-romance-books-why/539056/11 "2010-05-11T19:58:02Z")
> [@Bytegeist](#): > > Because Amish spy novels have all been flops. Now I’m picturing a tricked-out buggy, with an oil-slick dispenser, blades on the wheels, and an ejector seat. (Of course, the first two would undoubtedly go against Amish pacificism ideals…) ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2010, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-romance-books-why/539056/12 "2010-05-11T20:07:37Z")
> [@In\_Winnipeg](#): > > Bundling originated either in the British Isles or in the Netherlands, although I have it on good authority that it was practiced in some areas of Scotland up into the early 60s (and may still be, for all I know). My mother, who grew up in the Georgia Appalachians in the 30’s, clearly remembers it being practiced there as well. Given that those folks tend to keep traditions like this, they may still practice it. ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2010, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-romance-books-why/539056/13 "2010-05-11T20:44:50Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Now I’m picturing a tricked-out buggy, with an oil-slick dispenser, blades on the wheels, and an ejector seat. You can certainly see the constraints of the genre. Nevertheless, that hasn’t stopped people from trying… [ul] [li]_Dr. Nein_[/li][li]_The Spy Who Loved Me, Platonically_[/li][li]_Octopassé_[/li][li]_License to Admonish_[/li][li]_Diamonds Are A Sinful Extravagance_[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![QuarkChild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/c5a1d2/32.png) [@QuarkChild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuarkChild)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2010, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-romance-books-why/539056/14 "2010-05-11T20:48:58Z")
I live in an Amish area of Ohio (near Holmes county) and I see these EVERYWHERE. The covers, as the OP describes, are always the same. I’ve actually read a Beverly Lewis book (“The Secret”)–my mother bought one and somehow goaded me into reading it. I didn’t like it much, but my mother raved about how “wholesome” it was. Personally, I thought it was boring and predictable. My grandmother loves Beverly Lewis books. I think some people are attracted by the idea of reading a book set in the context of a simpler or more traditional lifestyle. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2010, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-romance-books-why/539056/15 "2010-05-11T20:59:15Z")
And there was that raunchy pornographic novel about the cop forced to hide out in an Amish community… _Titness_ ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2010, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-romance-books-why/539056/16 "2010-05-11T23:32:56Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > And there was that raunchy pornographic novel about the cop forced to hide out in an Amish community… _Titness_ When that movie came out, I remember it being nicknamed _Wetness_. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2010, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-romance-books-why/539056/17 "2010-05-12T00:05:27Z")
Because the author just HAD to use the entendre “raise the barn!” ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2010, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-romance-books-why/539056/18 "2010-05-12T11:16:12Z")
A lot of my mom’s books look like they had Mennonites on the cover, but it turns out they were set in colonial times. Those are the Christian everybody’s-married-before-anything-happens books. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2010, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-romance-books-why/539056/19 "2010-05-12T11:28:57Z")
My grandmother, who lives in Pittsburgh, had two guys over to do repairs on her roof while I was visiting. One of them was Amish. He was thirsty so I gave him some Pepsi. That about sums up my interaction with the Amish. That and _The Witness_ with Harrison Ford. The scene where he, dressed simple, knocks out a punk, is classic. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2010, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-romance-books-why/539056/20 "2010-05-12T12:51:14Z")
> [@Bytegeist](#): > > **Why Amish romance novels?** > > Because Amish spy novels have all been flops. There are, however, more Amish murder mysteries than you’d guess. [This one](http://www.amazon.com/Sworn-Silence-Burkholder-Linda-Castillo/dp/0312374062/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1273668308&sr=8-1), in fact, is actually really good (and very gory). Even [Jodi Picoult](http://www.amazon.com/Plain-Truth-Jodi-Picoult/dp/1416547819/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1273668408&sr=1-11) got into it (that one was very predictable). [One guy](http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Prodigal-Ohio-Amish-Mystery/dp/0821412779/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1273668509&sr=8-1) in Wayne County has a whole series of Amish murder mysteries. No wonder they have such big families – it’s dangerous out there. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-romance-books-why/539056.md?page=2)