This study of the life of Shem Zook reveals a unique person much like Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson with many significant contributions and a legacy of enormous influence. Although he had limited formal education, his writings demonstrate scholarship and knowledge with a desire to preserve the unity of the Amish church. In the 1830s and 1840s, he was deeply involved in local and state politics. This well-documented biography needed to be written. (98pp. illus. index. Masthof Press, 2020.)