At 17, frustrated by the rules and restrictions of Amish life, Ira got up at 2 am, left a note under his pillow, packed his duffel bag and left. Wagler, who now works at a building and supply company in Lancaster County, Pa., deserves praise for his honesty. Ira Wagler was born in the small Old Order Amish community of Aylmer, Ontario. The memoir is worthwhile as much for its Amish insights as for its exploration of one man's emotional turmoil, regret, and shame. It was a 'paradox that would haunt me for almost ten years: the tug-of-war between two worlds.' His tale of restlessness looks acutely at the clash of family ties with love of freedom. Such unspoken displeasure sparked a cycle of coming and going for the author, who repeatedly crept away from his community only to return, if reluctantly, for its familiarity. Ira Wagler’s New York Times bestseller, Growing Up Amish (2011), can be viewed as a further extension of the body of literature that focuses on oppression, agency, and survival. In a follow-up to his New York Times bestseller Growing Up Amish, Wagler has a new book out, titled Broken Roads: Returning to My Amish Father, where he recounts his reconciliation with his father, family, and heritage after he walked away from the Amish culture over 30 years ago. Yet Wagler bravely goes on to expose pervasive dissatisfaction among both youth and adult Amish living in what he characterizes as a stifling, formulaic world. The simplicity of everyday life may seem quaint on the surface. Wagler recounts his Amish upbringing, from dating conventions and worship services to local gossip and schoolyard bullies. This memoir offers a nuanced account from a man who straddled both Amish and 'English' (non-Amish) worlds.

Filmmakers, academics, and novelists have offered depictions of Amish life.

Growing Up Amish by Ira Wagler