Levi's Will, by W. Dale Cramer

My wife and I have always been fascinated by the lifestyles of our Christian brethren that live the older, simpler lifestyles than what we're accustomed to these days in 2012.  We visited Montgomery, Indiana, about three or four years ago to witness the Amish community there.  Seven years ago while I was on a mission trip in Belize, I traveled a couple times past a Mennonite settlement.  Finally, one of our favorite places on earth to visit is the Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill near Harrodsburg, right here in Kentucky.  (And let's not forget South Union Shaker Village in western Kentucky.)

While the Shakers are mostly gone, except for a few in Maine, the Amish and Mennonites are going strong.  This particular book is written by a man whose family is Amish, although he left that life many decades ago.  The story of the novel pretty closely follows the experiences he's had through his life, and in fact its writing and publication affected his family so much that some of the themes of forgiveness and reconciliation from the story came true in the book's aftermath.

This book is beautiful, in my opinion.  Much like in reality, the folks of this story go through some frank, tough struggles, up to and including the ending.  Nothing's black or white as much as it's several shades of gray.  The main character goes through a several-decades-long process of learning about himself, his Amish roots, his immediate family and his place in God's Kingdom.  I was really struck at how realistic this novel was at showing how long it can truly take for someone to come to grips with his or her faith.

There's not much objectionable in this book, and I'd recommend it to anyone.  I'll probably have to read some more of Dale Cramer's works in the future.