House Calls and Hitching Posts

Stories of Dr. Lehman's work in Wayne County, Ohio amongst the Amish as told to Dorcas Sharp Hoover. A close look at the life of a country doctor practicing the art of medicine in the old-school "Country Doc" fashion. Many doctors would benefit from taking a more compassionate and intimate approach to their patients whether they are Amish or not. Dr. Lehman can show you how it's done. (Dr. Lehman seems to attribute his calling as a religious one but serving one's fellow man is a vocation that can be served by all, regardless of one's spiritual beliefs.)

What an amazing book about a truly exceptional man. Dr. Elton Lehman practiced country medicine with the Amish of Ohio and what a "practice" he had! I laughed with him when he went to the wrong John Smith (three times in a day!) and I cried with him when five Amish children were killed by a reckless driver. Not only does it give you insight into the country medicine practice, but the Amish themselves. An absolutely incredible book!

This was my reading group's selection of the month and the premise sounded promising: a biography of a doctor who treated the Amish people of Northern Ohio for 40 years. In my reading group, I often take some heat for not finishing books. This year, I decided that, time allowing, I would complete all of the books. It was difficult to not throw this book into the heap after the first two chapters, but because I was determined to finish it, I trod through 30 chapters, nearly 400 pages of plodding prose.

Yet, I felt some twinges of guilt for despising this book so much. The subject after all, is interesting. Dr. Elton Lehman is truly an inspiring human being -- dedicated, selfless, caring, tolerant, faithful to his personal beliefs -- and show more the book does give some insightful glimpses into the lives of the Amish. But, this book was in desperate need of professional editing. While it didn't suffer the scourge of many self-published books (I tried but couldn't find one typo or glaring grammatical error), the prose varied widely from purplish and overwrought to simplistic as an elementary school composition. In an effort to retell stories accurately or perhaps to convey a folksy, country setting, dialog is used throughout. But, the dialog is poorly written and seems contrived. While fabricating events in a memoir a la Frey is definitely out of bounds, a good writer knows when to trim, understanding that retelling every bit of minutia does not help to convey the full story.

Reading House Calls and Hitching Posts was like being trapped by someone's aging uncle at your second cousin's wedding reception: you want to be polite and listen to the stories, but after some time the stories run together and you'd rather make your escape by dancing the hokey-pokey or drinking more of the too-sweet punch. An experienced editor would have trimmed this book by 200 pages and the end result would have been both an interesting and a captivating read. Can't something be inspirational and well-written?

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The writing of this book is hardly stellar; it is, in fact, awful. However, the life Dr. Elton Lehman has lived and the people he has served makes for very interesting reading.

Dr. Lehman chose to serve a community only a few miles from where he and his 11 siblings were raised because he firmly believed that his life was supposed to be a life of service to others and that God would lead him to the right place for him to work. Having been raised in a Mennonite area (though he was not a member of the Mennonite community), he had a better understanding of the ways of the Amish who lived in his new community. He conformed his practice to work within their beliefs when it would have been so much easier for him to force them to conform to show more 'regular' medical practices. He used his own money to make their lives easier and safer and helped convince both state and federal governments to allow the building of a birthing center which would serve the Amish in a way they could accept. This tremendously compassionate man can truly say he has made a difference in countless lives. show less

The author recounts warm and sometimes heartbreaking memories of Doctor Elton Lehamn’s 36 years of practicing medicine in Amish Country. The doctor respected the cultures of the community and adjusted his medical practice to accommodate their needs. You learn about the unusual partnership with an Amish midwife that led to the innovative Mount Eaton Care Center that allowed women to give birth in a more family friendly and less expensive setting than a hospital. The book covers interesting medical events from opening his first practice up to this Ohio doctor being selected 1998 Country Doctor of the year.

Dr. Lehman lived a very inspiring life demonstrating true sacrifice and service based on his relationship with the Lord.

Dr. Lehman lived a very inspiring life demonstrating true sacrifice and service based on his relationship with the Lord.