Patricia Johns

A lot of authors will never write a book that outlives them. There are precious few who do, but I truly believe that Leslie Gould’s Amish Memories miniseries will outlive her! This is such an important trilogy because she fearlessly faces the ugliness of racism, white supremacy and hatred inside Christian communities.

In WWII, there were a lot of Mennonites who sided with the Nazis. Why? It’s shocking! I mean, I have Mennonite heritage, and Mennonites believe deeply in not hurting others, not taking a life, and showing God’s love at every turn. How could these people side with Nazis? Easy enough–they got tired. Finally, no one was picking on them for a change. So they turned a blind eye to red flags and warning signs. They saw what they wanted to see… and ignored what was really happening.

Leslie Gould’s miniseries focuses on exactly this–how it was possible for God-fearing Christians to side with evil. It happened then, and it happens today. We cannot get tired or stop caring about human suffering. We can’t let white supremacy rise again, and we can’t allow those ideas to take root when we get tired and stop being vigilant. Christians MUST be smarter than this, more vigilant, and more determined to protect all human life.

These books look at three Mennonite sisters who are exploring their Amish roots, and in the process they are learning about their Amish heritage in Germany, as well. I am so grateful to Leslie Gould for tackling this difficult subject! If you want to read beyond the idyllic Amish communities and look deeper at real human error when it mattered most, these books are for you!

I truly believe that these books will outlive Ms. Gould, and she’ll be remembered for not just writing riveting fictional stories, but facing the tough subjects in history and in our society today!

Happy reading!