Introduction by Don Yoder, PhD J. B. Fisher grew up in rural Lancaster County, Pennsylvania during the Great Depression and World War II. His memoir presents a unique story of coming-of-age in that time and place. Beginning with his parents' marriage in 1919 and chronicling his childhood, school years, and stormy adolescence, the author presents a riveting saga that brings him back to his roots after working as a teacher and coach at a prep school in Hawaii. Outside of Paradise: Growing Up Amish is a distinctive and thoroughly rewarding reading experience, running the gamut from laugh-out-loud comedy to cry-a-bit tragedy, at all times celebrating the triumph of the human spirit. "Outside of Paradise" shines an autobiographical light on a winsome protagonist on whose side the reader stays to the end. As an Amish memoir, it marches right to the head of the procession for its truth, its frankness, and its sympathetic yet no-holds-barred approach to describing what it meant to grow up Amish. - Don Yoder, Professor Emeritus of Folklore/Folklife, Devon, Pennsylvania As a reader who lived through the Great Depression and World War II, "Outside of Paradise" takes me back to that time and place in such vivid fashion that time and again I found myself exclaiming, "Hey, that was ME " - Howard Blackman, Retired Instructor and Department Head, Lone Pine, California Publisher's website: http: //www.sbpra.com/JBFisher