Dubbed “bonnet rippers” by journalists who have suggested that the books are a kind of “Fifty Shades of Grey” for church ladies, Amish romance novels are written and read mostly, but not exclusively, by evangelical Christian women. “Getting Dirty in Dutch Country” is how a headline in Bloomberg Businessweek described the genre.
But evangelical erotica this is not. The stories feature suitors whose suspenders stay put. “The longer he stood so close to her, the stronger the need to kiss her lips became,” writes Ms. Woodsmall of her hero’s thoughts in “When the Heart Cries.” “But he was afraid she might not appreciate that move.”
Readers of Amish fiction are looking not for racy stories, but for romances in which the trinity of modesty, chastity and fidelity reign. While the books often feature a female protagonist that falls in love with a man outside of her community, the relationship always remains sweetly romantic.
The really interesting fact from the article is this:[blockquote]The Amish are one of the fastest-growing religious groups in North America, ballooning from about 6,000 people in the early 20th century to nearly 300,000 today. According to a 2012 study from Ohio State University, a new Amish settlement is founded every 3.5 weeks, and the number of Amish people doubles every 21 years. Clearly, the Amish are a people of the future at least as much as they are of the past.[/blockquote]