From Publishers Weekly
Kraybill and Bowman, professors of sociology at Messiah College and Bridgewater College, respectively, take a typically sociological approach to Old Order Anabaptists. The authors attempt to explain how these groups, which are opposed to modern culture in so many ways, have been able not only to survive, but even to thrive. The Old Orders stress community, obedience and self-denial over individualism; they eschew "consumer consumption" (a rather unforgivably tautological phrase); and they question the value of formal education beyond a certain point, usually the eighth grade. The authors deal cursorily with the history and demographics of the Hutterites, Mennonites, Amish and Brethren, devoting a chapter to each. These chapters include numerous graphs and charts and contain copious data, but they make for rather dry reading. The concluding chapters are the most interesting as the authors focus on the similarities, differences, structures and prospects of the traditions. Readers might be surprised to learn that the groups are actually quite diverse in terms of their acceptance and use of technology and in their relationships with the outside world. The authors are thorough in their analysis and offer cogent, if somewhat obvious, reasons for the continuing success of the Old Order traditions. Their approach is clearly sociological, so readers seeking a more historical perspective will want to look elsewhere. The book will be useful to libraries, undergraduates studying sociology of religion and general readers. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Kraybill (sociology and Anabaptist studies, Messiah Coll.; The Riddle of Amish Culture) and Bowman (sociology, Bridgewater Coll.; Brethren Society: The Cultural Transformation of a Peculiar People) examine the four major branches of "Old Order" religions in America and discuss their relationship with the larger culture. They present Hutterites, Mennonites, Amish, and Brethren in separate chapters, giving their history, present practices, and future prospects. The common features and differences of these related sects are clearly explained. An intriguing final chapter considers how these groups may fare in the increasingly postmodern world, which shares their skepticism with science and progress but repudiates all possibility of absolute truth. The authors give the general reader an excellent basic understanding of the beliefs and practices shared by all of these separatists while making the uniqueness of each group clear. One of the best single-volume works on this subject; highly recommended for academic and public libraries. C. Robert Nixon, M.L.S., Lafayette, IN Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Kraybill and Bowman begin this lucid introduction to Old Order Anabaptism in the U.S. with historical background and a chapter on each of the four groups named in the subtitle. "Every human group," they write in the opening chapter, "makes an implicit argument about its meaning and purpose by the way it lives." The four descriptive chapters then explicitly articulate those implicit arguments, which, though not unrelated, are each distinctive in ways that matter. If they begin with judicious discriminations, however, they end with a significant characterization. They write that the "Old Orders torment the postmodern soul." For two sociologists to claim that there is a postmodern soul is something. To say it is tormented is positively theatrical and surely will catch the attention of a serious postmodern readership. So their study is invaluable not only for those interested in specific Anabaptist traditions but also for those struggling to understand postmodernism and community. Steven Schroeder
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Review
"This work is insightful, informative, and so easy to read that I had a hard time putting it down! "--Ed Robbins, Provident Book Finder


Review
"In sorting out the puzzles and complexities of the Anabaptist movement in America today, there are no other social scientists doing more important work than Donald Kraybill and Carl Desportes Bowman. In their new book, On the Backroad to Heaven: Old Order Hutterites, Mennonites, Amish, and Brethren, they have done it again. They perform the most significant comparative analysis of these faith traditions to date. Their work not only informs us of the different strategies they pursue in surviving the challenges of the modern world, but it also provides a prism through which we see the weaknesses and deficiencies of contemporary American culture."--James Davison Hunter, author of Culture Wars: The Struggle to Define America and The Death of Character: Moral Education in an Age Without Good or Evil


Book Description
On the Backroad to Heaven is a unique guidebook to the world of Old Order Anabaptist groups. Focusing on four Old Order communities--the Hutterites, Mennonites, Amish, and Brethren--Donald B. Kraybill and Carl Desportes Bowman provide a fascinating overview of their culture, growth, and distinctive way of life. Following a general introduction to Old Order culture, they show how each group uses a different strategy to create and sustain its identity. The Hutterites, for example, keep themselves geographically segregated from the larger society, whereas the Brethren interact more freely with it. The Amish and Mennonites are more alike in how they engage the outside world, adopting a complex but flexible strategy of compromise that produces an evolving canon of social and religious rules. This first comparative study sketches the differences as well as the common threads that bind these groups together.


About the Author
Donald B. Kraybill is Distinguished College Professor and Senior Fellow in the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College, Pennsylvania. Widely recognized for his work on Anabaptist groups, he has authored and edited many books, including The Riddle of Amish Culture and The Amish and the State, both available from Johns Hopkins. Carl Desportes Bowman is a professor and chair of the Department of Sociology at Bridgewater College. Nationally recognized for his scholarship and publications on Brethren groups, he is the author of Brethren Society: The Cultural Transformation of a Peculiar People, also available from Johns Hopkins.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Hidden along the backroads of rural America are fast-growing societies that stand apart from the mainstream. Members of some of these communities speak a European dialect, wear distinctive dress, avoid higher education, drive horse-drawn carriages, and use technology selectively. Their cultural values produce many puzzling practices—tractors with steel wheels, telephones outside homes, successful industries without electricity, word processors but not computers, and rollerblades but not televisions. These distinctive communities that spurn individualism, shun consumerism, and use technology cautiously challenge many of the dominant values of American culture.
On the Backroad to Heaven is a unique guidebook to the strange world of Old Order Anabaptist groups. Focusing on four Old Order communities—the Hutterites, Mennonites, Amish, and Brethren—Donald B. Kraybill and Carl F. Bowman provide a fascinating overview of their culture, growth, and unique way of life. Following a general introduction to Old Order culture, they show how each group uses a different strategy to create and sustain its identity. The Hutterites, for example, keep themselves geographically segregated from the larger society, whereas the Brethren interact more freely with it. The Amish and Mennonites are more alike in how they engage the outside world, adopting a complex but flexible strategy of compromise that produces an evolving canon of social and religious rules. This first comparative study sketches the differences as well as the common threads that bind these groups together.
Along the way, the authors provide answers to many puzzling questions. Why have these groups not merely survived in the twenty-first century, but flourished? What strategies help them preserve their cultural identity in the face of the powerful forces of mass society? How have they changed, and why? Kraybill and Bowman explain how each group draws appropriate "lines in the social sand" to mark the boundaries between virtue and vice, and show how these symbolic borders continually change in response to internal and external pressures.
Finally, these groups raise fundamental questions about the nature of human society—particularly about the interplay between the individual and the group. On the Backroad to Heaven therefore offers a cultural critique of our own society as well, for as we ponder alternative ways of living we learn more about ourselves.

About the Author: Donald B. Kraybill is professor of sociology and Anabaptist Studies at Messiah College. Widely recognized for his work on Anabaptist groups, he is the author or editor of many books, including The Riddle of Amish Culture and Amish Enterprise, both available from Johns Hopkins.
Carl F. Bowman is a professor and chair of the Department of Sociology at Bridgewater College. Nationally recognized for his scholarship and publications on Brethren groups, he is the author of Brethren Society: The Cultural Transformation of a Peculiar People, also available from Johns Hopkins.

SYNOPSIS

Kraybill (sociology and Anabaptist studies, Messiah College) and Bowman (sociology, Bridgewater College) describe Old Order Anabaptist culture and the contemporary communities that continue variations of that tradition. They discuss the beliefs and practices of Hutterites, Mennonites, the Amish, and the Brethren. Each group's strategy for preserving its own unique identity is examined and the commonalties and differences between the groups are described. The lessons of Anabaptist culture for modern America are also discussed. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

FROM THE CRITICS

Donald F. Durnbaugh

As one has come to expect from books written by Don Kraybill and by Carl Bowman, the organization of On the Backroad to Heaven is logical and coherent. References to recent phenomena￯﾿ﾽsuch as the media frenzy surrounding the unfortunate drug case involving Amish youth￯﾿ﾽas well as the inclusion of the latest scholarship should make this a book that will appeal to academic and general readers alike.

James Davison Hunter

In sorting out the puzzles and complexities of the Anabaptist movement in America today, there are no other social scientists doing more important work than Donald Kraybill and Carl Bowman. In their new book, On The Backroad to Heaven: Old Order Hutterites, Mennonites, Amish, and Brethren, they have done it again. They perform the most significant comparative analysis of these faith traditions to date. Their work not only informs us of the different strategies they pursue in surviving the challenges of the modern world, but it also provides a prism through which we see the weaknesses and deficiencies of contemporary American culture.

Publishers Weekly

Kraybill and Bowman, professors of sociology at Messiah College and Bridgewater College, respectively, take a typically sociological approach to Old Order Anabaptists. The authors attempt to explain how these groups, which are opposed to modern culture in so many ways, have been able not only to survive, but even to thrive. The Old Orders stress community, obedience and self-denial over individualism; they eschew "consumer consumption" (a rather unforgivably tautological phrase); and they question the value of formal education beyond a certain point, usually the eighth grade. The authors deal cursorily with the history and demographics of the Hutterites, Mennonites, Amish and Brethren, devoting a chapter to each. These chapters include numerous graphs and charts and contain copious data, but they make for rather dry reading. The concluding chapters are the most interesting as the authors focus on the similarities, differences, structures and prospects of the traditions. Readers might be surprised to learn that the groups are actually quite diverse in terms of their acceptance and use of technology and in their relationships with the outside world. The authors are thorough in their analysis and offer cogent, if somewhat obvious, reasons for the continuing success of the Old Order traditions. Their approach is clearly sociological, so readers seeking a more historical perspective will want to look elsewhere. The book will be useful to libraries, undergraduates studying sociology of religion and general readers. (Apr.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal