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Dee ’ s News
Vo l ume 2 I ssue 5
Meet Ira Wagler : Author of
Growing up Amish
Ira Wagler, like
many former
Amish, has a
story to tell
about his jour-
ney with his
heritage. He
always knew he
had a desire
and ability to
write his per-
sonal story , but
even he was happily surprised with how his
book came to be published. Ira shared in a
phone interview that he was compelled to
write about his growing up years as an
Amish young man when his ―world im-
ploded‖ in 2007. He began with a blog.
Over the course of time, his writings were
noticed by a friend which led to a meeting
with an editor at Tyndale. Ira is no stranger
to literature and writing. He earned a de-
gree in English, but his inspiration for writ-
ing comes from reading classic books from
authors like Thomas Wolf. He later went to
law school and earned his law degree, also.
Ira acknowledges that ―having the right
people around me, helped me be pub-
lished.‖ He feels he received his gift of
writing from his father, who was a contrib-
uting writer to the Amish magazine,
Family
Life.
He feels his sensitive heart, though,
comes from his mother. One of the most
surprising aspects of being published, Ira
states, is the ―absolute professionalism of
Tyndale House.‖ He is especially grateful to
his editor, Carol Traver, who was able to
keep Ira’s writing voice intact, while offer-
ing edits that made his story stronger.
There are three particular sections of his
book that he found difficult to write, but
are powerful elements of his personal jour-
ney: his older brother’s accident, his young-
er brother’s leave-taking from home, and
his relationship with an Amish young lady.
He is satisfied with the results in his book
and feels the story is told with a balance of
both the difficult and positive aspects of
growing up Amish. He made a concerted
effort to tell his story with fairness, and yet
still bring out the emotions of the moments
he describes. When asked if he had any
advice to others who have left their Amish
culture behind, he offered that with the
work ethic instilled in the Amish, he knows
any former Amish will be able to apply that
urge to work hard toward anything they are
willing to try. He said that he entered col-
lege ―scared to death‖, but he was able to
succeed. He entered law school just to ―see
if I could do it‖. When asked if he is plan-
ning to write another book, he replied ―the
market will decide that‖, but he wouldn’t
mind writing a sequel and/or a novel. His
writing routine is anything but routine. He
works best under deadline pressures. Ad-
vice to writers? ―Just write! Just produce!‖
Ira’s book can be purchased at:
MAP Ministry: (419) 962-1515
PO Box 128
Savannah, OH 44874
OR:
Amazon.com:
Here’s a sample from Ira’s book: ―One
fateful, starless, April night, I got up at 2:00
a.m. in the pitch black darkness, left a
scribbled note under my pillow, and walked
away—all my earthly belongings stuffed in
a little black duffel bag...I could not know
that night of the long hard road that
stretched before me.‖
Attorney Morning at the Yoder’s
Tom Gillman, Law Director for Loudonville and Per-
rysville, donated his time to come to the Yoder’s on
July 23rd to offer direction and advice to the former
Amish about legal decisions. He spoke of how estate
planning issues, after death issues, medical issues, or
catastrophic issues can effect a person’s life without
proper legal documents in place. He offered details on
who should have Wills, Power of Attorney for Medi-
cal, and Living Wills, as well as how those legal docu-
ments protect a person’s wishes regarding their estates and family. He
stressed the need to have a trustworthy person named to take care of our
personal interests in the event we are not able to make our wished known. Tom gave a an example of how cost efficient a simple Last
Will and Testament can be, giving an estimate amount starting at $65. For those who would like more information or to make an appoint-
ment, please contact Tom’s office at:
Loudonville Office:
Ashland Office:
Phone:
(419) 994-4892
133 South Market Street
245 Sandusky Street
Toll Free:
(866) 994-4892
Loudonville, OH 44842
Ashland, OH 44805