Counting the Cost

Holly says: Jill Duggar, one of the eponymous children of the popular TV show 19 Kids and Counting, tells her story (alongside her husband Derick) in this memoir.  Growing up within a large family that followed the teachings of the high control religious organization Institute in Basic Life Principles, Duggar was subject to legalistic expectations rooted in patriarchal systems of control and strict gender roles. But the control went further than that, from financial manipulation to the now well-documented abuse by her older brother (which she touches on, but does not explore in detail in this memoir). As someone who was entertained by this show in my younger years, I really enjoyed Duggar’s accounting and applaud her choice to speak out and make different choices from her family and church, as well as her honest conversations about pursuing therapy and learning to advocate for herself and set boundaries with family members who had harmed her in the past. Content warnings apply.