c. 2007 Religion News Service

(UNDATED) Few outsiders have ever glimpsed inside the world of the Swartzentruber Amish _ the most insular sect of an already conservative religious group. But Joe Mackall, living just a mile away from Samuel and Mary Shetler and their 10 children in rural Ohio, forged a friendship with his neighbors over more than 16 years.

In his new book, “Plain Secrets: An Outsider among the Amish,” a mixture of memoir and reportage, Mackall invites readers into the Shetler family to consider what Mackall describes as both the holiness and horrors of Swartzentruber Amish life.

Mackall talked about his decision to risk his friendship with the Shetlers to write this book; what he would do if a Shetler child left the Amish and sought his help; and how it feels to take a buggy ride to Home Depot.

Q: Why did you decide to write a book about your friendship with your Amish neighbors?

A: I did not want to endanger my relationship with the Shetler family, or do them any harm. Ultimately, though, it was impossible not to write, mainly because of how fascinating they are. I could never live that way, and there are some horrors about living that way, but I also admire it tremendously.

Q: Were there moments when you thought, “My relationship with the family is too important; I can’t write this”?

A: I didn’t talk to them about a writing book until knowing them for more than 10 years. After the manuscript was finished, Samuel and Mary read it, and I ended up taking out two things, which I thought were pretty innocuous. The things I thought would be more incendiary, they didn’t have a problem with.

Q: In becoming close friends with you, Samuel risked chastisement from his community. Why did he go along with the book idea?

A: When I pushed him, he gave me two reasons. One, it’s just because I was the one asking. They know me and trust me, and we’ve been through a lot together. Two, Samuel said he hoped my book would show the Amish in a good light. I told him I was going to have to show them in the light that I saw them.

Q: Why do the Amish care how “English” (non-Amish) people view them?

A: Amish people have to be separate from the world. But it’s in their best interests not to have an antagonistic relationship with the world. If English people wanted to make life miserable for the Amish, they could do it. A county could say: “No horse droppings on the road.” Some of it, though, might be just a non-Amish, human need to see the group you belong to portrayed in a good light.

Q: You write about Jonas, Samuel’s 18-year-old nephew, who leaves the Amish and faces hardship in the English world. If you’re ex-Amish, having a trusted English friend makes that transition so much easier. But that’s exactly what the Swartzentrubers don’t want _ an easy transition.

A: That’s why (Swartzentruber parents) are so afraid to have English friends. After a while, their kids might say, “If my parents like them, and they’re not Amish, then maybe you don’t have to be Amish to be good.” It’s such a tightly woven fabric, any time they let someone like me in, it’s not as strong as it was before I came.

Q: What would you do if one of Samuel and Mary’s children left the Amish and sought your help?

A: I hope to God I’m not faced with that. It would be a horrible choice. But it would be hard for us to turn our backs on a Shetler.

Q: You’ve known the Shetlers for 16 years. How did you narrow down which experiences to write about _ for example, your description of you and Samuel riding the buggy to Home Depot?

A: When I starting working on the book, I was at the Shetler’s farm morning, noon and night. Samuel is constantly working, so you have to be at his side to interview him _ he’s not just going to sit down and talk to you. When I had an opportunity for a buggy ride, I jumped at it because I knew I’d have a captive audience.

Q: But going along with him in the buggy put you at risk.

A: A buggy is a scary thing to ride in. When you’re on small road, at dusk, or in the fall, it can be just beautiful. But on bigger roads, with cars flying by _ I imagined jumping out (to save myself). Buggies are no match for cars in an accident. It’s not an ideal way to travel, especially because the Swartzentruber won’t even put a reflective “Slow Moving Vehicle” sign on the back of their buggies.

Q: What was your reaction to the media coverage of the Amish school shooting in October, 2006?

A: Most Americans _ non-Amish people _ were amazed at the ability of the Amish to accept what happened and forgive the killer. But that forgiveness is not exactly how we think of forgiveness. It’s more like they looked right through the tragedy to the fact that it was God’s will. Since it was God’s will, then of course they had to get close to the woman whose husband did it.

Q: Do the Swartzentruber Amish accept converts?

A: They do. But converts would have a long probationary period before being baptized. They would really have to prove that’s the life they want to live. It’s not like being a Hare Krishna _ walking around an airport with flowers is a hell of a lot easier than becoming Amish. Forget the religious stuff: the day-to-day life is rough.

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