Aaron: Amish and Gay Kindle Edition
by H. Milo Yoder (Author)
Aaron, a 33-year-old
single Amish man, tells us about his painful journey as he is “outed” when his
brother accidentally discovers a pencil sketch Aaron drew of two mature men in
an intimate moment. Aaron deals with his own emotions as well as his immediate
family’s reactions, and soon afterward, the preachers from his church,
including the presiding bishop, give the young man a list of rules to live by
if he wants to remain Amish. As his inclusion in the Amish community is
threatened, he begins to find inner resources through the help of a therapist.
He pushes doggedly through the strict restrictions of his faith and acceptance
of his yearning for the intimacy of another man. Sheltered from any contact
with homosexuals all through his youth, Aaron now tries to maintain his faith
in what he has been taught and constantly struggles with what he sees as the
loose morals of any gay men he gets into contact with. The way to true love is
never easy, and for a gay Amish man to find a partner who shares his values
seems to be an impossible task. Can Aaron navigate the pressures from the
outside world to abandon his values and faith while trying to maintain a
tenuous relationship with his family and the Amish community?” The enigmatic
mystique of Amish Aaron being excommunicated and yet living the life of an
Amish person is disturbingly fascinating.”
Book Reviews
Amish have been
fascinating the non-Amish for generations. The beautiful farms, the hardworking
men, the plain and simple yet sought after “Amish food” the women create and of
course the cute kids who dress like miniature adults in their whimsical
costumes is the community the “world” sees. “Aaron, Amish and Gay” uncovers
layers of hierarchal authority, patriarchal rule, and the extremely strict and
unbending attitude towards any of their community who strays outside the rigid
rules of the church. So Aaron tells us in the first person and in his own
words, sometimes with his poetry, about the journey of coming to terms with his
sexual orientation. Don’t expect a lot of sexy scenes, for this story goes much
deeper than what many straight people call the “gay lifestyle.” The story
immediately uncovers the deep desire everyone has for a deeper connection with
someone… or something. The author gives a lot of information many do not know
about the Amish and then delves right into the huge conflict Aaron faces of
being gay. The struggle is real as Aaron tries to hang on to the only world he
knows. Amish. It’s not always easy to read his heart-wrenching struggle to be
secure in his own heart, and yet there are enough funny moments to keep it from
getting too dark. It’s a captivating read, and I read it chapter after chapter,
night after night until I finished it. Hey! I think this is the first of a
series! Can’t wait to read the next one.
Mr. Yoder has
spoken for many of us who have been raised in very strict religious families.
The issues his character struggled with are the same many of us have faced. His
journey of discovery and self-acceptance is well written and very eye-opening.
This manuscript appears to be an editor’s draft and could have been better
formatted. Quite often, the reader is flung inexplicably from one scenario to
another.
I am neither
Amish nor gay, but found myself completely transfixed by Aaron. Aaron’s journey
is a coming out story, but more than that, it’s a catalog of ‘otherness.’ The
book is an unflinching examination of the differences that emerge in
homogeneous groups. Any person marginalized amongst their own social sphere
will immediately understand Aaron’s affliction, his own self-awareness plagues
him. If only he wasn’t different than those around him. If only he wasn’t
attracted to that handsome photographer. If only he hadn’t woken up to the real
version of himself. But he did, and because of it, we have this fine book.
Yoder takes a simple story and sharpens it with a fantastic
lead character whose complexities seem boundless. Particularly engaging was
Aaron’s wrestling with his faith amongst his queer-ness. There’s a deeper
message about how religion is used as a wedge to separate us, as opposed to a
ball of twine holding us together. Yoder instinctively keeps the reader inside
Aaron’s journey, never letting him have an easy way to understanding himself,
nor making his pathway toward acceptance too easy.
Aaron is at its heart, a love story. He must learn to love
himself despite an intolerant world. It’s simple, but profound and
extraordinarily resonates. Also,
it’s got a lot of horses. Who doesn’t love horses?
Product Details
·
File Size: 1515
KB
·
Print Length: 265 pages
·
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
·
Publication Date: July 24, 2020
·
Sold by: Amazon.com Services LLC
·
Language: English
·
ASIN: B08DMB85BH
ABOUT THE
AUTHOR
Gay and Amish. Being
Amish did not keep me from knowing I was gay even before I was a teenager. I didn’t
know anyone else was gay until perhaps around 15. But of course, I stayed deep
in the closet for Amish just don’t do gay! Did no one else notice I was really
good at flower arrangements, spent a lot of time studying non-Amish styles in
the Sears and Montgomery Ward catalogs? Or that I was way more interested in
reading books than in working on the dairy farm? I ran away from home and
joined my married brother’s community in a Car Amish church. Such freedom! But
really, there were almost as many rules in this church as in my Amish church
but we were allowed to drive cars, if they were painted black! You get the
idea. I married a woman when I was 22, and we raised five kids together, I
taught for more than 20 years in Car Amish parochial schools. I began traveling
globally to interview people for the 20 some published biographies sponsered
by, you guessed it, Car Amish/Mennonite people. After 38 years of marriage, we
had left the Amish/Mennonite circles, and as empty nesters, my wife decided she
wanted out of our marriage. Scandalous in our circles and to save my marriage
and keep my family intact, I decided to “confess” my attraction for men. “Never
suspicioned it once. But that’s not why I am leaving you.” Her words put my
world in a downspin for not only was my life as an Amish man no longer intact;
now, the world was finding out I was gay as well. Heartbroken, I watched as my
immediate family spiraled downwards as I came out to my children and sibling.
Thankfully I still have a close family I can visit seven years later. My
writing career ended, I moved across the country from NC to southern CA, where
I now live, and in 2019 when I was 67. I began writing my first novel, loosely
based on my and other Plain People’s experiences coming out gay. Aaron took on
a life of his own and guided me through the complexities all gay people feel
coming out of religious/cult circles. From Amish to Uber, I say because I drive
for the ride-share company part-time and gather a lot more information for my
next books.