Duggars new book--first impressions

[IReallyAmHopewell]

I haven't read it all, but skimmed most of it. I will review it fully on my blog when I'm done.

 

1. Most of this is a minute-by-minute recap of several episodes in the show.

 

2. I'm VERY SORRY I criticized them for keeping the girls at home--after reading about the weirdo-fans who show up at 7 am and other scary stuff I can see now why the girls might actually TRUTHFULLY prefer to live at home!! Stalkers--I have mentioned this possibility before so I wasn't totally witless.

 

3. Josh--he may not be quite a ignorant as we think. They tell about the small business ventures he entered into as a teenager and he really didn't do too badly. One venture was very funny, but successful.

 

4. Food. As I have said many times, likely they DO eat better than we see. I'd spotted the Bosch mixer way back and knowing that Bill Gothard has some interesting health/nutrition ideas I figured we weren't seeing it all. They list favorite snacks--canned vegetables cold, spritzed with vinegar anyone?

 

5. One of the girls may actually be pursuing "real" nursing training albeit the Gothard way--like any savvy community college student they are using CLEP tests for maximum credits, but the program requires attendance at an onsite school in the student's home area to become licensed. They don't say this, but there are hints.

 

6. Michelle relates, I hope with the kid's permission, some conversations that prove she may spend more one-on-one time with them than we think. One conversation with Jer/Jed? while she was in the hospital in particular.

 

7. The discuss, in theoretical terms, "marital relations" and it's role in a healthy marriage. Jim-Bob is the horndog no doubt! Michelle reflects on keeping in mind being the "sole provider" of this service on nights when she is exhausted!! They DO keep the OT commands about sex after a baby's birth, but point out (rightly) that as Christians they are under the new covenant (NT) and don't have to obey such legalistic teachings.

 

8. They discuss courtship and offer a "composite" list of what the girls are "looking for" in a guy. Honestly, it was nothing shocking--certainly not like some "If you want to court my daughter lists."

 

9.They were scared out of their mind by Josie's birth. It also put a strain on their marriage in a big way. No discussion (at least so far) of details of that strain, but being apart so much, trying to keep the family going, trying to keep Jim-Bob's real estate work going etc.

 

10. They have health insurance so once they'd paid the deductible for the year both Michelle's & Josie's (and since it was December, in January the new year deductible) care was fully covered. Jim-Bob is critical of himself for wondering, only months before, if it was worth the cost of the premiums since they were all healthy.

 

11.They responded to the criticism for showing Grandpa dying and his funeral. They said, like Josh & Anna's wedding, it was part of their life and shows people how faith sustains.

 

There is no mention (so far) of the Gothard's "Umbrella of Authority" or any of his truly wak-a-doodle ideas such as evil Cabbage Patch kids, but I give even the Duggars credit for being smart enough to roll their eyes at that one!

[acheronbeach]

I don't want to sound like a Debbie Downer, but it seemed entirely focused on responding to the criticisms leveled against them. It was just so on-point that I had to wonder if it was true.

That said, I am glad if one of the girls is becoming a real, licensed nurse. I'm also glad that Jim-Bob and Michelle are praising their health insurance, rather than many fundies who equate health insurance with Satan.

[IReallyAmHopewell]

I do give the Duggars credit--the go to a real doctor, they take real health issues seriously and they seem to listen to the doctors (except on limiting family size, but we've seen Michelle's doctor say she's ok)

[bananacat]

Yeah, I completely agree with acheronbeach. First of all, you have to remember that the book is heavily biased, and OF COURSE they will make their family out to be much better than they actually are. And the way it addresses all the specific criticisms that have been brought up here, it sounds like they literally just went down a list of things people don't like and then made up stuff to counter them. It's just fodder for the Duggar-lovers so they can keep pretending that they're a perfect family and they don't have to listen to any of the criticisms. I doubt that anything is an outright lie, but I'm sure it's all very heavy on exaggeration.

[3 is enough]

I haven't read the book yet. I'm planning to go to B&N one of these days and read it for free on my Nook. I'm curious, but I don't want JB making any money from me.

It does sound like a response to all the criticisms. We've seen it addressed on the show, so why not in the book , too?

I'm sorry about the crazies showing up at their door, but that's what you get when you put your life on tv. In this case, I think they were just too naive to think anything like that could ever happen.

[xDreamerx]

I agree with what everyone else has said. I don't know, if they understand the gravity of being on television. By that I mean, the potential risks on issues like security and these weird people. I mean, in one sense they seem to think the world is completely evil and they should shun it and yet they seem to also think people are all rainbows and unicorns and would never do them any harm. A gate is not that much of a security measure. I'm not saying I wish them harm, but I question whether they are very realistic about safety.

The latest episode seemed like damage control to me as well, purposely featuring and talking about how they love Jordyn.

[O Latin]

I got about halfway through it. I just thought it was boring. It just seemed like they were trying to stretch five pages of stuff into ten, the way I do with my school papers, in every chapter. So I never even got to the stuff about courting or any of that because I couldn't get through five chapters of Michelle waxing on about how she teaches the kids to memorize bible verses and stuff like that. I don't think they're necessarily lying about anything, but I do think they're spinning it to make themselves look better. I did like the story about Josh selling those stupid singing fish.