Amish...A Simplier Life?

Almost Amish: One Woman’s Quest for a Slower, Simpler, More Sustainable Life  

By: Nancy Sleeth

Genre: Nonfiction

Pages: 272

Published: 2012

Read: June

3 out of 5 stars

I felt this book has a lot of great ideas; however I strongly dislike the author. First, how can she be "almost Amish" and state that she doesn't care about appearance, but the cover features a woman wearing nail polish, jewelry, and a very colorful skirt?  Several times she mentions ideas and methods to become "almost Amish" and then continues that she chooses not to follow them because the modern method is more convenient. I understand the novel is about becoming "almost Amish" and not "Amish", but I would expect her to follow the ideas she recommends. I know she may have been providing the readers thoughts to ponder, so the reader can decide what works for his/her lifestyle. However, the way she achieves it aggravated me.  I still gave the book a 3 star rating because she does suggest many easy and cheap changes a person/family can adopt to simplify their lives AND there is nothing wrong with that.


Nancy Sleeth is a Christian environmentalist, author, and Managing Director of the non-profit Blessed Earth. Her website is www.nancysleeth.com