Gold Crown Press

Dewey Cheatum, insightful anthropologist and acclaimed poet, hangs out with young Amish during the end of Rumspringa, when adolescent Amish men and women must decide whether to join the tribe or quit for good. With wit, derring-do, and liberal purchases of beer, he gradually wins the trust of his sources, riding with them in their buggies and introducing them to such Rumspringa novelties as T.V. and radio. As much a textbook of anthropology as it is an exposé of a special time in the lives of a special religion "The Secret World of Amish Defectors" is a testament to just how much you can learn hanging out for hours in the parking lots of suburban convenience stores. Rather than fall into the usual traps of discourse surrounding the Amish—that they are Luddites, that they have no sense of style—Cheatum tells this epic tale of Rumspringa from the inside out, putting himself in the emotional situation of this subjects and following them as they navigate a crossroads that will shape the rest of their lives.