When the English Fall by David Williams

Amish farmer Jacob is worried about his daughter Sadie, 14. She has seizures and visions. Lately she’s been talking about angels falling from the sky. When a solar storm knocks out the electric grid, her visions start to make sense. Jacob, his wife Hannah, and their Amish neighbors respond generously to the disaster, sending extra food every week with the National Guard to Lancaster. As conditions in the cities deteriorate, hunger and violence come ever closer. How are the Amish to be a witness to the values of non-violence, community, and generosity in a post-apocalyptic world? Jacob writes this story in his journal, even as he and his son Jacob help their neighbors repair storm damage, and when Mike, the English (non-Amish) man who sells the furniture Jacob makes, comes to the farm for advice and help. Beautifully written, moving and unpredictable, this shorter novel is a memorable standout on the increasingly crowded shelves of post-apocalyptic novels.

Brenda