Rumspringa (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780999411223)

A dark soul emerges...

Josef is a young Amish man in Pennsylvania who lives on a farm with his mother and works as a carpenter. Although he lives among the plain folk, Josef has dreams of a life beyond his Amish community.

Josef obsesses about Hollywood and the rich and famous he believes lives there. They are sinners living in modern-day Sodom and Gomorrah.

While Josef is disgusted with the images of wealth and greed that flood his imagination, he is not without sin. His heart overflows with lust, and there is a deep well of anger within him. As his emotions grow in intensity, Josef's impulsivity increases. He is arrested and booked for driving while intoxicated. As a condition of his release, Josef must agree to a psychological evaluation. By circumstance, Josef is to be evaluated by Doctor Bryce Davison, a local practitioner, which doesn't bode well, given Josef's temperament and deteriorating mental state.

Josef fills compelled to travel to California to witness the evil first-hand. He announces his plans for rumspringa-an Amish coming-of-age experience that some communities-although not Josef's-permit. Josef is older than the teens who might temporarily leave the Amish life to sample modern American ways, but he asserts his right to test the waters. In California, Josef's dark soul emerges, and he begins to satisfy his lust and yearning for power.

After his return to Pennsylvania, Josef has Bryce in his sights. Can the psychologist respond in time to save the life of one of his patients against this formidable adversary?