Rating: 
Summary: I was very disappointed in this book
Review: I was expecting to read a book about the Amish. What I read instead was a very self centered book about a woman searching, rather blindly, I felt, for herself.
She had very little in the way of insight into Amish life, even after spending a period of time with them. And her inability to get outside of her own head/her own life was not terribly interesting to read.
For someone who always longed to be a 'star,' I am sure publishing a book was quite a thrill for her. Shame she used the Amish as a platform for her own ego.
Rating: 
Summary: An interesting but disturbing book
Review: I've long been fascinated by accounts of the lifestyles and beliefs of the Amish. As a parent, I am often overwhelmed by unease about our culture. It's obvious that consumerism is the machine that's driving some of us off the cliff, but few of us (especially thirtysomething women like myself) know how to avoid feelings that we must be the best--we must have it all, we have to be it all. Hoping for some insight, I read Bender's book. I think what bothered me the most was that Bender's situation between the lines was almost comically present in the book, like watching someone lip-synch to a stuttering recording. I was disturbed that her "resume" as ceramics artist, therapist, and numerous college degrees were offered up more often than, say, specifics about her relationships with her children and husband. SHE is the only person that's affected by her experiences with the Amish. Her "be a star" upbringing, her overachieving, her dislike of housework--all of this is undermined by the tremendous economic and cultural freedom she obviously enjoys. She jets around the country without a thought, and leaving her husband for months at a time never seems to be an issue. A little inner voice tells her to go back to the Amish "to complete the circle", and baby, she's on the next flight. I feel this is why another reviewer on Amazon commented that Bender sounds like she needs a therapist herself. Her intensity becomes narcissistic because her gaze is focused so strongly on herself. She talks lovingly about the limited choices that Amish life offers when her own life is an amazing example of freedom. She assumes the reader will have patience with her descriptions of the way she works out some of her feelings through her art when she's home--these are by far the most difficult portions of the book. It's almost as if Bender had to add details of how un-Amish she is to improve the contrast between the two worlds. I feel that we need to rescue our children and families as much as we need to rescue ourselves from being so damn driven to have the best, and have as much of it as possible. There are some insights in this book that I thought could touch a "normal" woman's life, but as I said, you have to be willing to ignore the narrowness of Bender's focus. Bottom line: this book is quick read and the form compliments Bender's observations on Amish life, which are engrossing. However, Bender's "Plain and Simple" message would have been more authentic, more believable, and less irritating if she had been able to show how her insights affected someone other than herself.
Rating:
Summary: Disturbing.
Review: If you are looking for a book on Amish theology, history, lifestyle or agricultural technique; look elsewhere. A five minute Yahoo search will yield you a veritable library of resources compared to this book. Surprisingly, there is ample information online about this oft misunderstood sect of Christendom. The book did have a modicum of useful information, but not enough to warrant the mandatory single star. I found the author's whining fits, pontifications and raging narcissism beyond nauseating. It was with great pleasure that I found myself at the last page. Ultimately, this book serves not as a commentary on the Amish, but rather that of the disaffected Yuppie lifestyle the author is from. What the author found so utterly alien about the Amish wasn't their anachronistic culture, but rather that their of love of God and family exceeds everything else.
Rating:
Summary: There is no insight to be gained after finishing this book.
Review: It is absolutely unbelievable this woman IS a therapist, by reading her book, she NEEDS one. She relates to clay more than to children or people. Whatever she was looking for in an Amish community, she never found it and translates that to the reader. Don't waste your time with this very poor read.
Rating: 
Summary: i had to re-read this for a book club meeting
Review: Ok for what it is but this book was really self-centered around Sue Bender and all SHE wanted to say. I wanted to know more about the Amish and their way of life and this book only grazed the surface. It seemed more like a journey through Sue's life moments to me. Maybe I'm too harsh but I wanted to read a book about Sue's impression of the Amish and her living among them NOT how Sue fit into everything, etc. Ugh! I was glad when it was over.
Rating: 
Summary: Food for the Soul
Review: Plain and Simple is a little gem of a book. Sue Bender's search for her inner spirit leads her to examine the life of the Amish community. Her journey begins with a simple quilt that catches her eye in a museum. Something about the stark yet vibrant quality of the quilt speaks to her heart. Sue's busy and chaotic life style has taken a toll on her artistic spirit. In the simple Amish quilt she finds the calmness that she wants to capture for herself. Sue arranges to spend several weeks living among the Amish community, going back to the basics of a simpler time. She is surprised to learn that her Amish friends are as curious about her as she is of them. Laughter, love, acceptance and humility are only a few of the lessons Sue learns. Taking those lessons back to her own life style is her challenge. This is one of those books that will remain within easy reach. When I feel my spirit lagging, I'll reach for Plain and Simple to remind myself of the lessons learned in this book.
Rating:
Summary: Profound for me. I needed this book. Read all three!
Review: Sue Bender sometimes says the obvious, but she says it in an
accessible way, a way you can apply it. I read all three books
at once, in reverse order...and I found useful information in
each. I can't imagine reading only one of them...each was
part of the brilliant peaceful story! Thanks Sue Bender!
Rating:
Summary: Profound for me. I needed this book. Read all three!
Review: Sue Bender sometimes says the obvious, but she says it in an
accessible way, a way you can apply it. I read all three books
at once, in reverse order...and I found useful information in
each. I can't imagine reading only one of them...each was
part of the brilliant peaceful story! Thanks Sue Bender!
Rating:
Summary: Insight into a personal journey...
Review: Sue Bender's book "Plain and Simple" is a refreshing alternative to the usual Self-Help pap that overwhelms the genre. Instead of telling the reader what to do or what to believe, Bender simply spins out the tale of her journey to the Amish and then reveals the metaphor that the journey created for her own life. This book is not a documentary on the life of the Amish. It is not a psychoanalysis of these people. It is not about which lifestyle is better. It is like reading someone's journal--the entries are personal and intimate. They relate to the author's life and her struggle to find a common ground between the Amish values and the values that her current lifestyle embraces. I found the book to be very affirming of my own values and very thought provoking. As an artist, I was also interested to read about how her artwork changed as a result of this encounter. I applaud the author for having the courage to follow the "still small voice" and then to write about the questions rather than being tempted to write about the answers!
Rating: 
Summary: a mixed bag
Review: The insider/outsider view of Amish life is most interesting and, I thought, fair, in that there are aspects which she finds admirable and would like to bring into her own life and other aspects which, though interesting, she would not like to adopt. In most instances, I would wholeheartedly agree with Sue Bender's point of view, and appreciate the time and effort she took to become so acquainted with the Amish families and the message she offers. I knew Sue and Richard Bender when I was a student in Berkeley, visited their home a few times and found it and them to be most admirable, as artists and as people. I was inspired by the way they lived their lives. But I agree with numerous other reviewers that there is an annoying narcissism in the telling. Perhaps the inward-looking story of how she was changed as an artist should have been another book or been more fully declared on the jacket.
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