Wyncote native Judy Stavisky recent published In Plain View: The Daily Lives of Amish Women, a book which has been described as “A fresh view into a life that is anything but simple.”
“I am often asked how I connected with the Amish women whose voices tell the story of their lives within the book. After a mutual friend’s letter of introduction, I found that Amish women, regardless of our differences, found an ease in conversation and in time, developed friendships,” Judy said.
Photographer Dennis Hughes provided Judy with 75 respectful glimpses of the Amish as they are, rooted in the past, living a life of discipline and restraint.
“I traveled to Lancaster County over 100 times and had the privilege of attending Amish schools, participating in special events like weddings and funerals, enjoying family meals and shopping trips,” she said.
The book’s foreword by Don Kraybill, PhD, an international Amish expert and a Senior Fellow Emeritus faculty member at Elizabethtown College, reads:
In many ways, In Plain View is a kaleidoscope of fascinating mini-stories. The crisp, clear, easy-to-understand narrative, is a delight to read. And that’s because Amish women do most of the talking on almost every page. For all these reasons, this is a pleasure to read—so pleasurable that it’s hard to put it down.
The book is available in hardcover form from Herald Press. From their description:
What does the life of an Amish woman really look like? Over the course of a decade, author Judy Stavisky, a curious outsider, spent hundreds of hours getting to know the women of Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County Amish community to find out the answer to this question. She joined mothers and grandmothers, unmarried women and teens, on their shopping excursions for household items, fabric, and groceries. They drove miles between undulating fields and shared hundreds of hours of conversation on everyday topics—laughing together about sneaking healthier entrees into their family’s evening meals, sharing concerns about their children, and trading family remedies for persistent coughs. As relationships evolved into enduring friendships, she grew to understand firsthand how Amish women bind their families and communities together.
In Plain View draws the reader inside a community governed by faith and separated by time, taking a closer look at the roles Amish women assume within their families and community, their fierce work ethic, and their camaraderie. Hundreds of years of shared traditions comes to life through a personal connection with Amish women, their own soft voices gently opening their world to an outsider.
In Plain View is available at Abington and Glenside Libraries, local book shops and online booksellers. The book can also be found on Amazon here.
About the Author
Judy Stavisky, MPH, M. Ed., has spent considerable time over the past decade attending Amish schools, sharing meals with Amish families, and joining events hosted in the Amish community. Judy has a lengthy career in philanthropy and helping non-profit organizations become more successful. She is a co-author of Do It Better! How the Kids of St. Francis de Sales Exceeded Everyone’s Expectations chronicling the journeys of Philadelphia’s student refugees. Recently Judy has been supporting Philadelphia’s refugee resettlement efforts, connecting food insecure Philadelphians with meals, and is an instructor at Arcadia University.
For all the latest news, follow us on Facebook or sign up for Glenside Local’s “Daily Buzz” newsletter here.