"If information highways are the wave of the future then I will build information country roads on which the traveller can reach the truth faster by going slower. . . ."

On these same country roads, far from the intrusions of modern technology, the Amish, Quakers, and other "plain folk" live their unencumbered lives, close to the land, in peaceful, smoothly-run communities. The thought-provoking, often challenging essays in The Plain Reader are written by men and women who rarely speak outside the borders of their local townships, and provide us with unique perspectives on life stripped down to necessity. Originally published in Plain Magazine, these pieces are sure to inspire reflection.

Reading about a garden cooperative in Connecticut, the raising of a home with only plaster and straw in hand, a fascinating trip to New York City through Amish eyes, compels each of us wonder: Can I too survive without television or that high-tech appliance cluttering my kitchen counter? Am I just a cog in the wheel of the global economy? Is isolation from one another and from the earth the simple destiny of humankind? Each rich, personal essay in this provocative collection offers solace, wisdom, joy, and quiet space for contemplation.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Ballantine
Published: 05/05/1998
ISBN: 9780345414342
Pages: 272
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 9.02h x 6.12w x 0.65d

Review Citations: Booklist 06/15/1998 pg. 1678
Publishers Weekly 06/29/1998 pg. 46
Library Journal 07/01/1998 pg. 96