plain truth

Back home it was pretty common to find a horse and buggy tethered to a light pole in the Fareway or K-mart parking lot. It was no surprise to see an orange "slow moving" triangle of an Amish buggy bouncing down the shoulder of the highway. There are several Amish communities back home.
When my dad took over the feed business from my grandpa for a number of years, he delivered a lot of feed to the Amish and got to know them pretty well. Sometimes I got to ride along. It was always fun for me. Like visiting a different world. My dad usually only delt with the men, the women generally kept to themselves and let the men handle business. The children, naturally curious, could be seen peeking around corners. We were just as foreign to them.
I just finished reading "Plain Truth" by Jody Picoult, about an 18-year-old Amish girl who gets pregnant and is accused of killing her newborn. Given the religious beliefs of the Amish, it is easier to admit guilt (even if innocent) and take the punishment so as not to draw unneccessary attention to yourself. So when a distantly related hot-shot lawyer from the city ends up defending this young woman in a court system the Amish don't believe in - it causes a few ripples. As part of the bail contingency, the lawyer is mandated to live with this Amish family to babysit this young woman.
With a little knowledge of the Amish, I was intrigued with the book. A lot of the things I knew about the Amish were included, like how they do not like to have their picture taken and how when the kids reach adolescence they get to experiment with the things not typically afforded to them. Some things I questioned and there were some things about the Amish I had not heard about. Granted, this story was set in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and certainly fiction - the author did live with an Amish family for a time to get a feel of their lifestyle.
It was hystarical reading about this citified woman in her fancy suits and high heels dealing with the Amish lifestyle. But determined to prove to everyone she wasn't going to give up, she made every effort to learn as fast as she could.
The book told a great story. The details of the trail seemed to drag on forever, but knowing there was a point to it all kept me reading. And it provides an interesting twist at the end.
It made me remember numerous trips to the Yoder's to get some leather work done or the Hershburger's for canvas. I'll never forget the time we were allowed to give the Amish kids a can of pop. Their little bare feet barely touched the ground they were dancing around so much. You'd have thought it was the first sip of soda they had ever had - and honestly, it may have been.