Another Wonderful Amish Fiction Book!

A Book Review : "Paradise Valley"
          By Dale Cramer
If you have already read Dale's prize winning book, "Levi's Will", you know what a talented writer he is!!  This new book, Paradise Valley, was certainly no disappointment after reading his Winner of the 2006 Christy Award.  A tale of love, danger, and redeeming faith (taken from back cover) is a very accurate description of the tale, that does stem from some real history in Dale's family.  In the early 1920's, five Amish fathers were imprisoned for not sending their children to school in Ohio. The children were removed from their homes and placed in a Children's Home , where they were to lose all their appearance of being Amish- clothing, hair, kapps, etc. Dale builds his story from this incident, which then is followed by an immigration of some of the families to Mexico to build a new life and live their faith freely.
He uses facts to build a wonderful fictional story- his characters become part of you and you become totally involved in their trials while travelling and attempting to succeed in setting up a new community in a strange land-where you can NOT trust anyone, residents speak a different language and live a totally different lifestyle. All I can say is WOW!!
This book had me so totally involved, that I became involved in each challenge faced. Rachel, a young woman, has to leave the  love of her life in Ohio, as she travels afar with her family. Upon arrival in Mexico, this small group has so many difficulties to face, but their faith remains strong and their influence on others is unbelievable.  We see one young girl teach- her own Amish  families as well as the Mexican children, another becomes a midwife, another who has sinned, has to face many decisions. A father has to make the right decisions for his family and those around him when lives are threatened.
As I don't want to add any spoilers, I would just say to read this book! You won't be able to put it down.With the fantastic characters , descriptions of the land and changes, it is definitely a winner!!
"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications Inc. Available now at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group."