"Then, in her freshman year, she developed a secret obsession with her quaintly dressed neighbors, spurred, in part, by her love of old things, like the "Little House on the Prairie" books. She began reading Amish history alongside the Bible, which she had cracked open in earnest for the first time; she went online to order "Martyr's Mirror," a multivolume account of the persecution of the early Anabaptists, and read it hungrily."
"With her blessing, Christina approached a local Amish couple who ran a bulk-food store in town; she joined them for a Christmas-carolling event, and then her first Amish service. By the end of her senior year, Christina was learning to speak Pennsylvania Dutch and wearing clothes sewn by members of the community. Classmates teased her about wearing a veil, but this only strengthened her resolve."
Christina Cortez grew up partly in Bakersfield, California, then moved at eight to Maryland near a small New Order Amish community. Religion was initially abstract in her family, with occasional Baptist and Methodist attendance. In high school she developed a private fascination with her Amish neighbors, influenced by a love of old things and the Little House books. She read the Bible and Amish history, ordered Martyr's Mirror, and absorbed Anabaptist stories. With her mother's cautious approval she attended Amish events, learned Pennsylvania Dutch, adopted Amish dress, joined services and traditions, and faced teasing that reinforced her commitment.
Read at The New Yorker
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