Fifty Shades of Gray Bonnets

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Whether readers are motivated by a hazy Luddism or a nostalgia for the old male-supremacist order of things, there’s no mistaking the potent commercial lure of the “bonnet books.”

Over at The Baffler, Ann Neumann chronicles the strange genre of breathless Amish romance novels—and who, exactly, are their millions of devoted readers.

You can find Charley Locke's journalism on WIRED, tweets @CHARLEY_LOCKE, and drawings on her parents' fridge. You can also sometimes spot Charley imperiously making book recommendations while managing the McSweeney's Pop-Up Shops. More from this author →