With that said, I give Crossing Over four stars **** because it was a fascinating read. The style in which it is written is simple and to the point. I read the book in less than two days. At 190 pages, it wasn't a long book, but it was a good one. The inclusion of bits and pieces of the letters Garrett's parents wrote to her after she left the Old Order Amish community in Kalona, Iowa made the book even more personal than it already was.
I can't imagine the emotional turmoil Garrett had to go through in order to join outside society. To lose one's family and to have to start from scratch in learning how to live life in modern society must have been an utter shock for her. I learned a lot from this book, and I was especially pleased to read a first person account of the author's life after leaving the Amish because I feel too many times the Amish are romanticized in literature and in modern society in general. Garrett paints a picture of realism.
One of the things that made me stop and think after reading the book was that she didn't have many photographs by which to remember her childhood and family. There are so many things I take for granted in modern life that I can't fathom not having photographs of my family from years ago.
I think the thing that cemented Crossing Over at 4 stars for me is that the story itself and the way it was told was compelling. I felt like I knew the author as I was flipping through the pages. There aren't many books that come across so clearly for me.
And yes, I'm on an Amish kick right now.
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