Book Review and New Readings

So I finished the Sarah Palin book. It was an interesting read because I am interested in her. But I think if you are looking to get a juicy autobiography - this is not the book for you. It was mostly about her experience in politics in Alaska. Then towards the end it was dedicated to her experience with the RNC and running as VP. The part I liked most was that throughout the book she continued to talk about how she was a mom first and how much she loved her kids. I really admire her being able to balance it all. I don't know how she does it! She's a really beautiful person, both inside and out. After Andrea gets done reading it I'm probably going to mail it to my friend Craig - I know he's been dying to get his hands on it (I will also be including my selection of Ann Coulter books).

I started reading Rumspringa on the plane today. I'm hooked! I'm already almost 1/2 way done. It's so interesting and it's something that I knew next to nothing about until today. For those of you who don't know, Rumspringa is a period in an Amish person's life where they are able to live outside the bounds of the Amish rules. It starts when you turn 16 and ends when you decide to leave the church or come back into the fold through Baptism. I can't imagine going from such a sheltered life to a life where almost everything goes. The part that shocked me the most was that they have an 80-90% return rate! Call me crazy, but I just think the Amish way of life would be so much easier. Less stress, less involvement with the trails of this world. The one thing that seems unbelievable is that they stop their education at the 8th grade. That would be the hardest part to handle. I guess I love how they all take care of eachother and try everyday to live a Christ like life. I'll be interested to finish the book and see how the main people that Mr.Shachtman interviewed turned out.