KRAYBILL 1

Kraybill in the foreword of Beyond the Plain and Simple, by Pauline Stevick

Stevick takes us on an Amish journey that reveals the ways
that we share many of their struggles and concerns.
Perhaps most important is the sense of Amish
agency that emerges from the text.
We hear real Amish people talking about their delights and fears.
And as we hear them speak we realize that although we stand on the other
side of a cultural fence, all of us- Amish and English- share common
bonds of humanity. That, perhaps, is the most important contribution of this intriguing collection of stories that takes us
far beyond the plain and simple postcard stereotypes.

It's nauseating to see Kraybill refer to the common bonds of humanity between the Amish and English as important. When, from my perspective, Kraybill has taken great liberty to omit the human story of the Amish.

As a young man I realized that it was possible to learn from other peoples' experience and that basically the human story was my story. It was exhilarating to realize that the issues I struggled with, had been experienced and documented by someone before me.

Not that I'm a psychologist, but I suspect my newly minted solidarity with humanity, conversely heightened my sense of uniqueness. So naturally I ended up searching for writings that were ever more similar to my specific situation.
It's important to understand that at this point in my life I was (and had been for a long time) acutely aware of the lack of accurate portrayals in literary works of my people. So when I stumbled across Kraybill's "the Riddle of Amish Culture" I was astonished at his accuracy and familiarity of the Amish.

So I devoured it, practically in one sitting. I can still feel myself sitting at the kitchen table. (it's the most practical area for everyone to utilize one light source) Even after everyone else had gone to bed I didn't move to a comfortable chair or sofa. As the night wore on the sinking feeling in my stomach sank lower and lower. In spite of his intimacy with Amish life and his skilled observer role, Kraybill was only going to address certain issues, like a politician who can talk at great length and in great detail, but intentionally leaves something unaddressed.

After having endured my entire life with only the most ridiculous, ignorant garbage being written about the Amish, the one guy who finally knows what he is talking about, does a white wash.