RST: Amish romance novels and what you may not have heard about the 1950s

What to look for on Radio Smart Talk, Tuesday, August 13, 2013:

There always has been a great curiosity about the Amish. It’s one of the reasons Lancaster County became one of Pennsylvania’s most visited tourist destinations.

However, the past few years have seen the Amish become part of pop culture in the entertainment and literary fields.

TV shows like Amish Mafia and Breaking Amish attract large audiences because they put Amish characters in positions and places the outside world wouldn’t think they would be.

Romance and the Amish also don’t seem to go together for most outsiders either. That’s why it’s a bit of a surprise that Amish romance novels are becoming more popular among non-Amish readers.

Valerie Weaver-Zercher, author of Thrill of the Chaste: The Allure of Amish Romance Novels, appears on Tuesday’s Radio Smart Talk to explain their popularity.

Also, most Americans picture the 1950s as an idyllic era when everyone had a job and a house in the suburbs, enjoyed the early days of rock ‘n’ roll, and was happy. Our second guest — Dr. Judith

Thompson Witmer — writes that the 50s were more complicated than that in her new book — Growing up Silent in the 1950s: Not All Tailfins and Rock ‘n’ Roll. We’ll hear why on Tuesday’s show.

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