Chapter 15

In Chapter 15 Brende really starts to become friends with Wilbur. As he tries threshing again all the men begin to ask him questions about life outside the Amish community. They ask him about Boston and New York, about prices of houses, etc. By the end of the day he calculates that the men only really worked a little over 4 hours for the day. So even though it took all day, only ½ of the day was devoted to work. I wonder how long the average person actually works in an office job. After they take a lunch break, talk on the phone, and talk to co-workers I bet they only end up working a half a day too!

Chapter 14

Brende talks about a lot of different stuff in this chapter but mostly weather. After their trip to Kansas he feels that his body adjusted to the air conditioning and when he returns he gets really sick from the heat. Mrs. Brende figures out that by turning around in the bed they get a breeze through the window. They also found a local spot to cool off and go swimming. I really like what he said about people who work all year to get a change of scenery for a week. If those people took a minute to look around they would realize that they get a change of scenery four times a year. I think that so far this is some of the best advice he has given in the book.

Chapter 13

Chapter 13 is titled “Secrets and Politics” and that pretty much sums it up. Brende finds out about a council meeting in which the men that govern the town convene and talk about arising issues. I don’t think that this would work too well in today’s society. I think that our democracy even though it has its flaws works somewhat well. Towards the end him and his wife travel to Kansas and check out a small town that his mother recommended. They seem to like it and he strikes up the idea of becoming a taxi driver. After peaking at everyone’s last posts I wonder if he decides to make this a career…? I was also wondering why these people drive from PA to KY just to check it out. He never says but they must like riding in the car, A LOT!

Chapter 12

In Chapter 12, the Brende’s take time to visit with a few of their neighbors. They realize who they like and also who they don’t like. They also find out exactly what connects all of them together and that is work and religion. Then they visit with Edna the midwife and talk about the new baby Brende. I would be really scared to have a baby at home. There are a lot of cases of women dying while going through childbirth. Also, where did these midwives get their education from? If I were Mary I would be asking all sorts of questions about what they would do if something were to go terribly wrong.

Chapter 11

In this chapter Brende describes the cute little Amish teenagers and what a teenage boy would have to go through in order to marry the girl of his dreams. It almost sounds like a job interview. I wish it was still like this today. I think it would be nice for a guy to write a note to my parents and have dinner at my house on Sundays. I also think it is so romantic that they go for walks and boat rides and sit on the porch and talk. When Brende talked about the guys on one side of the room and girls on the other it reminded me of junior high dances. It only takes one boy to start talking to one girl and then everyone usually follows along.

Chapter 10

In Chapter 10, Brende helps out a neighbor by putting up an addition to his barn. All the men in the community work all day to achieve this goal. Brende learns more about the men and is able to distinguish their different personalities. Whenever two people are working toward the same goal it is natural to start talking and become friendly. Working and talking makes a tedious job go much faster and easier. People like socializing and just want some company when they are at work. I think that if you worked from home you might feel lonely than if you worked at a jobsite or in an office where there are many people around.

Chapter 9

This chapter goes into detail about the Amish church and religion. Although they were unsure about fitting in, the Brende’s decided to attend their first service. I don’t know if the service just felt long because it was a long boring chapter or if the service actually took all day. I almost fell asleep reading about the author and everyone else desperately trying to stay awake during church. The best and most valuable part of chapter 9 is when Mrs. Brende figures out that the reason the Amish dress the way they do is for the sake of others and not for social reasons. I found this extremely interesting and from then on she felt it was easier to get along with the other women.