Author Description

Product Description One fateful starless night, 17-year-old Ira Wagler got up at 2 AM, left a scribbled note under his pillow, packed all of his earthly belongings into in a little black duffel bag, and walked away from his home in the Amish settlement of Bloomfield, Iowa. Now, in this heartwarming memoir, Ira paints a vivid portrait of Amish life--from his childhood days on the family farm, his Rumspringa rite of passage at age 16, to his ultimate decision to leave the Amish Church for good at age 26. Growing Up Amish is the true story of one man's quest to discover who he is and where he belongs. Readers will laugh, cry, and be inspired by this charming yet poignant coming of age story set amidst the backdrop of one of the most enigmatic cultures in America today--the Old Order Amish. About the Author Ira Wagler was born in the small Old Order Amish community of Aylmer, Ontario. At age seventeen, frustrated by the rules and restrictions of Amish life, he got up before dawn, left a note under his pillow, packed his duffel bag, and left. Over the course of the next five years, he would leave and return home numerous times, torn between the ingrained message that abandoning one's Amish heritage results in eternal damnation and the freedom and possibilities offered by the rest of the world. Only upon becoming a Christian at age twenty-six did he finally leave the Amish for good. He is currently general manager of Graber Supply, LLC, and Pole Building Co. in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Adam Verner is a stage, film, television, and voice actor and an Earphones Award-winning audiobook narrator. He holds a BS in theater arts from Bradley University and an MFA from Chicago College of the Performing Arts at Roosevelt University.