More Than Happy

February 15, 2015

Best known for her Amish novels, Miller here returns to her nonfiction roots with a look at the parenting culture of the Amish community and how their simplicity might be leading to happier children. Covering such subjects as early responsibility, raising your own food, living with extended family, and the lack of technology, Miller gives the reader an inquisitive and graceful look at the Amish community and how their values and structure contribute to peaceful families and well-behaved offspring. VERDICT Miller's book contributes well to the emerging subgenre of investigating parenting styles across cultures. The author has a clear adoration and respect for the Amish community, and her writing style will make readers feel as though they are on a journey along with her. This is less a piece of parenting advocacy than a journalist's examination of a well-known but somewhat closed community. Readers from many backgrounds will appreciate this leisurely armchair tour that is inspired by curiosity and dignity.

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