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A review by sarahdkdc
Counting the Cost by Jill Duggar
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.0
SOooo many thoughts on this.
I occasionally watched 17, 18, and 19 kids and counting re-runs on TLC, along with John & Kate Plus 8 re-runs, after school as a kid, and I found the family to be incredibly peculiar then - much more so now. Much more sinister now, too.
I absolutely feel sympathy towards Jill, and the abuse that she, and her sisters, faced at the hands of her parents, her brother, the whole IBLP movement, Bill Gothard, Scott, Chad - nearly all the adults that surrounded her childhood. A lot of the people mentioned in this book should, in my opinion, be serving prison time. In no particular order those people include: BILL GOTHARD, Jim Bob Duggar, Jim Bob Duggar, Jim Bob Duggar, Jim Bob Duggar, Scott, Chad, oh . . . and! JIM BOB DUGGAR.
I truly don't think Jill understands that her parents never actually apologized to her in any meaningful way. They financially, spiritually, and emotionally abused her for years, and they still don't think they did anything wrong. She refers to them as "good people" in the final chapter. I hate to break this to you, Jill, but "good people" do not raise their daughters to believe that their bodies are inherently shameful, and that they are to blame for men's lust. "Good people" do not continually enable their abusive pedophile of a son, refuse to discipline him in any meaningful way, BEG people not to report him to the police, AND guilt their daughters into being the face of the positive PR following their CSA. In my eyes, Jim Bob Duggar and Michelle Duggar are not "good people" and they are not good parents.
Now, you could argue that capitalism could be the ruination of any of us, but let's be honest, Jim Bob Duggar's failures as a father began when he enrolled his family into the cult that was (is?) IBLP, and cozied himself up to Bill Gothard.
I really disliked the constant presence of Jill and her husband's mission trips in this book. They both come off as having a very holier than thou attitude toward the local people of the places that Jill claims she felt so much like "home" in. This feels completely in line with those Tweets that Jill would like to just skip on past. Please note: Jill's husband is a raging transphobe. Unsurprisingly, they are both incredibly, openly homophobic as well, sharing that they don't support the "lifestyle," and would disown their children if they turned out to be gay.
I cannot believe that in the end she has chosen to make peace with her parents. I cannot believe she let her father hold her baby! Let's not even discuss her choice of names.
I honestly hope that Jill one day goes individually to a therapist, and continues to deconstruct, like she did with pants.
I occasionally watched 17, 18, and 19 kids and counting re-runs on TLC, along with John & Kate Plus 8 re-runs, after school as a kid, and I found the family to be incredibly peculiar then - much more so now. Much more sinister now, too.
I absolutely feel sympathy towards Jill, and the abuse that she, and her sisters, faced at the hands of her parents, her brother, the whole IBLP movement, Bill Gothard, Scott, Chad - nearly all the adults that surrounded her childhood. A lot of the people mentioned in this book should, in my opinion, be serving prison time. In no particular order those people include: BILL GOTHARD, Jim Bob Duggar, Jim Bob Duggar, Jim Bob Duggar, Jim Bob Duggar, Scott, Chad, oh . . . and! JIM BOB DUGGAR.
Now, you could argue that capitalism could be the ruination of any of us, but let's be honest, Jim Bob Duggar's failures as a father began when he enrolled his family into the cult that was (is?) IBLP, and cozied himself up to Bill Gothard.
I really disliked the constant presence of Jill and her husband's mission trips in this book. They both come off as having a very holier than thou attitude toward the local people of the places that Jill claims she felt so much like "home" in. This feels completely in line with those Tweets that Jill would like to just skip on past. Please note: Jill's husband is a raging transphobe. Unsurprisingly, they are both incredibly, openly homophobic as well, sharing that they don't support the "lifestyle," and would disown their children if they turned out to be gay.
I honestly hope that Jill one day goes individually to a therapist, and continues to deconstruct, like she did with pants.