Almost Amish by Nancy Sleeth

Almost Amish by Nancy Sleeth is a book about simplifying, becoming more "green" (eco-friendly), more family centered, more responsible. The author does this by highlighting things she and her family of 4 have done and drawing parallels to Amish culture. She writes about many aspects of Amish life and how they could be emulated by non-Amish who wish to have those characteristics in their own lives.

A lot of the ideas Sleeth talks about in her book are great ideas, things that individuals/families interested in simplifying (kind of a catch-phrase nowadays, isn't it?) can grab hold of and implement. Other ideas about families, community, finances, etc. are extremely appealing to me. Some of the appealing aspects which Sleeth talks about are possible for the Amish because of the community patterns they live in, making them unattainable for those of us who live in a non-Amish community.

I enjoyed the book, there are lots of great ideas with illustrations from the author's life. She does kind of put the Amish up on a pedestal, which I would caution against. Though some aspects of their culture are attractive to me, others are not. However, I would still recommend this book--it is easy to read and full of interesting ideas--probably anyone could find at least one idea they'd like to implement in their own life! It is published by a Christian publisher, but I think that anyone who is interested in living a simpler life would enjoy this book.

I received a free copy of this book for the purpose of this review from Tyndale publishers. I was not required to write a positive review.