100% of profits help Amish women & girls go to school past the 8th grade

Available in paperback (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Ingram, Bookshop, etc.) and ebook on 12+ digital platforms

ISBN: 978-0989420082 (paperback)
ISBN: 978-0989420051 (ebook)

by Torah Bontrager

Amish Girl in Manhattan: A Crime Memoir

“Torah’s tale is one of immense trials followed by towering triumphs.

Less a book and more a confession from a close friend. Riveting, inspiring, empowering.”

Brian Young

Author, Healer of the Water Monster

Among other outlets, Torah's story & work have appeared on or in:
A true crime story

A 15-year-old Amish girl in America escapes in the middle of the night

. . . so she can go to school.

Amish Girl in Manhattan is a very fast read

I have much left to learn, and this memoir is as much of an exploration for me as it is a story for you.

Join me on this journey.

Short stories, not a non-linear narrative

Amish Girl in Manhattan isn’t written as one long timeline. It’s a collection of short stories in mostly chronological order.

100% of book sales profits go to The Amish Heritage Foundation

I hope some of what I’ve written makes you laugh, inspires you, and moves you to join me in emancipating Amish women and children.
Recommendations

Download 3 Free Chapters

Check out my picks of Amish Girl in Manhattan: A Crime Memoir to take an unfiltered look into my memoir.

This isn’t written as one long timeline; it’s a collection of short stories in mostly chronological order. I move through memories, piecing together what I can into stand-alone stories of my life pre- and post-escape, searching for belonging, family, and meaning.

Choose whichever chapter calls to you. All are a fast read.

I hope some of what I’ve written makes you laugh, inspires you, and moves you to join me in emancipating Amish women and children.

Music was my therapy during the long years of feeling lost, alone, not belonging, without a home.

I included a playlist at the end of each chapter, a sample of what I was listening to at the time to make it through my late teens and twenties.

If you find meaning in other people’s struggles, confusions, flaws, and humanity, pull up a chair and stay awhile.

How far would you go for freedom, love, and safety?

Amish Girl in Manhattan is the tale of a girl whose childhood was so crushing that she literally escaped in the middle of the night at age 15, without telling anyone goodbye.

She left the only world she’d ever known, crash-landing into one that didn’t speak her language, wear her clothes, and understand her problems.

She gave up everything — family, security, community — in the hopes that one day her dreams might come true.

What #1 bestselling author Tim Ferriss said when he interviewed Torah

“For those of you who feel trapped because of a job or self-imposed obligations as an entrepreneur, [Torah’s story] will put things in perspective.

“How do you escape your environment if you’re unable to control it? If almost no one on the outside realizes what’s happening?”

Become an Amish Insider Member!

When you sign up for the Amish Heritage Foundation’s (AHF) email list (the nonprofit I created), you instantly become an Amish Insider member.

That means you’ll receive exclusive notifications, such as all of AHF’s events and special programming.

As a member of AHF’s Amish Insider community of allies, you help guide a new generation of Amish leaders seeking transformation and engagement with the rest of the world.