As I've said numerous times before, friends and family love to recommend books to me because they know I talk with over 100 young readers a day (my students), so it's good to be versed in numerous genres and topics in order to encourage the reading 'magic' to happen. The latest book- yes, I believe in using the physical books because they don't burn up batteries or need charging- I finished, The Waiting by Suzanne Woods Fisher, was set in Amish Country in Pennsylvania. Who knew that Pennsylvania was such a hot place for book settings (see This World We Live In)?! I wasn't sold on reading the book, since I've grown such a fondness for reading about zombies and apocalypses. I gave it a try since my mom bought me a copy when she met the author again on one of her many birding escapades. Since getting involved with birding, mom has found herself in Amish Country (Near Ashland, Ohio) more than a few times, tracking down birds and sharing binoculars with Amish children. Therefore mom was particularly interested to hear my opinion of the book & the topic.
A couple of things struck me as fabulous about the book. First off, it made me cry. Not once, but three times! I'm not exactly a sappy person, but Fisher apparently found some of my soft spots (aside from the topic of Homelessness): Preparing for death with peace in the heart, loving so deeply that a person is willing to sacrifice his own wishes, & respect for God's creation/ destruction.
The basic story is this: A reluctant school teacher (Jorie) is waiting for her significant other to come home from the Vietnam War. Jorie's good friend, Mary Anne, finds out she has an aggressive form of cancer which will take her life in just a few weeks' time. Jorie finds out that her sig. other has passed away & his remains are returned to the family. Meantime, Mary Anne wants her husband to be happy and her children to be looked after, after her impending death, so Mary Anne urges her husband, Caleb (Cal), to marry Jorie once she finally succumbs to God's will (but Jorie doesn't know this). Caleb is reluctant to remarry and Jorie is seemingly the only female who actually encourages Caleb to take the time to let his heart heal before jumping into a new relationship/ marriage. The subplots include conflicts of the Plain (the Amish call themselves this) and the English, a loose cougar, and the comical relief of Caleb's desperate female suitors.
I've found myself talking about this book to friends and family constantly over the last week. My students can't believe that the book made me cry and my husband and I have been in numerous discussions about the poise of the Amish characters with trials and tribulations. It's easy to be hooked by the simplicity of life and it's refreshing to read a story with characters who are passionate about life and doing what's right for the group, rather than doing what's best for the individual. I think that the conflicts in this way are much more genuine than the average book out there right now; for instance, one character gets beaten mercilessly, but he refuses to report the beating because it's not the Plain way. Along these lines, the characters are actually developed into multi-dimensional characters. They are complex and even one of the seemingly "evil" character shows feelings and shows a new side of himself- and this is even more obvious because one of the "good" guys reacts to this transformation questioning the validity of the "evil" character's emotions.
After this reading experience (sobbing in my bed while reading and all!), I'm already interested in reading more of Suzanne Woods Fisher's work. It's just so refreshing to read something that isn't dealing with teenage pregnancy and drug use (but those topics have their places too) and to feel like the characters teach the audience positive ways to act and react to life and its ups and downs. I won't be forgetting this book anytime soon and expect to see more books from this series, The Lancaster County Series.
(Teachers: This book makes my short list of books to teach because there's substance for discussion, PG rating, and it's uplifting.)
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