The fourth of 19 children, Jill Duggar, delves deep into the dramatic and dirty past of the distinguished Duggar family in her new memoir, “Counting the Cost.”
Duggar, the Arkansas native known from her family’s multiple television shows and specials, particularly “19 Kids and Counting” and “Jill and Jessa: Counting On,” has become one of the most outspoken of the 19 children about the abuse and wrongdoings her and her siblings endured.
In the tell-all book, Duggar describes life in the early days of being a Duggar before the camera crews and the last eight or nine children. She answers questions that viewers and fans of the shows have theorized about for the last decade.
The book, just shy of 300 pages, is an easy-to-follow, chronologically written trauma dump of Duggar’s life, her challenges and struggles.
Duggar unveils her side of the story about the sexual abuse that she and some of her sisters faced from their oldest brother, Josh Duggar.
In the book, she explains the fundamentalist Christian organization her family followed and was a part of, the Institute of Basic Life Principles, and explores how its teachings simultaneously shaped her childhood and created her adult trauma.
Duggar also goes into detail about how much money her direct family — her husband Derrick Dillard and three sons Israel, Samuel and Frederick — made from the show, or rather, the lack of.
For anyone who has watched any of her family’s shows or has kept up with them over the years, Duggar’s book gives behind-the-scenes explanations of what was actually happening on the other side of the cameras.
The book, while unveiling harsh truths about Duggar’s parents, particularly her father Jim Bob Duggar, is careful not to attack anyone. Rather, Duggar recounts situations she experienced firsthand, how they made her feel and what she learned from them. She adds an author’s note at the end that she didn’t write the book to bash her family.
Duggar’s memoir is a must-read for people who have experienced religious trauma or have been at odds with their families because they stood up for their rights and beliefs.
Throughout nine chapters, Duggar shares her experiences in breaking away from the IBLP fundamentalist lifestyle she grew up in, marrying her husband and creating her own family, and learning how to cope with her mental and emotional health with the help of therapy — all while standing true in her Christian faith.
One of the main themes of the book is the titular concept of, “Counting the Cost.” Duggar references the figurative cost of things throughout her life that add up and have taken a toll on her, whether it be in her family relationships, her religious identity or her mental health.
In every chapter, Duggar uses a photo or two with captions and dates to illustrate different periods and people in her life.
“Counting the Cost” was released on Sept. 12 and has been on the New York Times bestseller list for nonfiction books since the week of its release. The book is available in-store at Walmart, Target and other bookstores, as well as on Amazon.com. It is also available online as an audiobook, narrated by Duggar.