This is a little story about a woman who goes on a journey of self discovery. If you are hesitant to believe there is such a thing as "self discovery" and describe such actions as "selfish" instead, then this book is not for you. I enjoyed reading Sue Bender's story about her insights while living with an Amish family. What began as an interest in the Amish quilts became an obsession for her. She eventually finds an Amish family in Iowa who is willing to let her stay with them for a summer as a companion for the families aging grandmother. From the very beginning what Sue notices is not so much the obvious differences in clothing, lifetstyle and religion but the way this Amish community had deeper way of just being. Timelessness or being in the moment was something they displayed with each and every activity. "It was as if they had uncovered a way to be in time, to be part of time, to have a harmonious relation with time." The author comes to re-evaluate the life she has been living and asks many of the same questions we ask ourselves. There are no easy answers in this book, just observations to be read and pondered upon, to enrich and stimulate. What would be our answer to the ultimate question Ms. Bender asks of herself,"Am I a successful human being and not only a success?"

This book was given to me as a birthday gift by a friend with whom I was in business. Unkowingly, this friend, also named "Sue", gave me the key to relaxation. When things get hectic and chaotic in my life, I read Plain and Simple. From the time I start reading, there is a peace that comes over me and I feel so calm afterwards. The writing seems to put me where Sue was when she was visiting the Amish...the same quiet peace I feel when gazing over miles of farmland dotted with homes with barns and silos - - and no electrical poles! Unfortunately, I am not surrounded by that environment, so reading Plain and Simple brings me there! Having loaned my copy to an elderly friend who was rehabilitating after heart surgery, I waited for her response. She didn't think she could read it since she was having trouble "concentrating on more than a paragraph of anything printed". I left it with her anyway, and at my next visit, she not only thanked me profusely, but told me she was adding it to her book "gift list"! So, I knew then it was not only me who benefited from the peace of the book. My thanks to the author!

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!

I was put to sleep three times by this book. Those poor natives. They just can't get no justice. This book does provide a new look at what an injustice western civilation has done to native people.

Please disregard the 2 of 5 rating from the sleep deprived person from North Carolina. This 5 out of 5 work of comparative history will keep you turning the pages. It may actually disturb your sleep with its effective demolition of the historiography of American exceptionalism when it comes to imperialism towards indigenous peoples.

More importantly, this is NOT a narrative about the Sioux or the Zulu as "victims." Although many scholars have noted the impact of Western imperial expansion on indigenous peoples throughout the world, it is only recently that historians have begun to employ the ill-defined and problematic methodology of comparative history to understand the similarities and differences of these diverse colonial encounters.

Gump's book integrates two major themes. One theme is that indigenous societies and cultures are dynamic. This means that they are characterized by intentional action and change. Whether the forces of change are internal or external, indigenous societies are not static.

The second theme is that societies and cultures are components of particular times and actual places. There is a dynamic interrelationship between attitudes, values, beliefs, behaviors and the specific circumstances of historic events. Examining two of these 19th century interrelationships provides us with an understanding of the dynamism of indigenous peoples' cultural adaptation and resilience. The Sioux and the Zulu were as involved in the historical process of change over time as any other people. In spite of their economic and cultural marginalization, adjusting to these circumstances did not necessarily diminish their cultural values.

For a good introduction to the comparative frontier history of the United States and South Africa see Leonard Thompson and Howard Lamar's chapter, "Comparative Frontier History" in their book, The Frontier in History: North America and South Africa Compared, (Yale University Press, 1981), 3-13.

For a comparative study in race relations consult George M. Frederickson's book, White Supremacy: A Comparative Study in American and South African History,(Oxford University Press, 1981).