Brethren Society is unique, creative, and well written. There are virtually no other books to compare with it. -- Donald B. Kraybill, author of The Riddle of Amish Culture Thoroughly and richly researched, clearly organized and cogently written. Bowman's account will be the standard reference on the subject for years to come. -- James Davison Hunter, University of Virginia This brilliant analysis will shape the interpretation of Brethren history for many decades. -- Donald F. Durnbaugh,, Elizabethtown College

In the first book ever written on the subject, Carl Bowman examines how and why members of the Church of the Brethren-historically known as "Dunkers" after their method of baptism-were assimilated faster and earlier than their Amish, Mennonite, or even Hutterite cousins.