The Heart of the Amish: Life Lessons on Peacemaking and the Power of Forgiveness by Suzanne Woods Fisher is a collection of touching stories about the Amish. I have always enjoyed reading books about the Amish, and this book was a very insightful and respectful look into some of their lives. It was great reading about the spirit of forgiveness that the Amish promote, and learning about different events that occurred and how various individuals reacted was very encouraging. Though the Amish are not perfect, outsiders can learn a lot of lessons by looking at how their communities operate. The sections of the book talking about the Nickel Mines tragedy were very sad, and I found myself near tears at times. However, this book focuses on how the Amish overcome hardships, making it an uplifting book. The reflection questions at the end of each chapter were very helpful, spurring further discussion. Reading this book was a wonderful, pleasant journey, and the variety of stories in some ways reminded me of those “Chicken Soup for the Soul” books. For people who do not live near Amish communities, the Amish may seem mysterious, but this book removes some of that mystery.

I received a review copy from Revell. The book is available here on Amazon.