I think a lot of us are familiar with the Duggar family for one reason or another, most likely from the show 19 Kids And Counting or from the eldest son's disgusting behavior. The author of this book, Jinger, is the sixth child out of nineteen. (Imagine having that many siblings!) Jinger says from the outset that this is not a tell all book about deep, dark secrets of her family, and it is not. She does provide a basic explanation of the teachings of Bill Gothard, whom her parents follow. Gothard is the founder of the Institute in Basic Life Principles, which is an ultra conservative "Christian" sect. As most have learned from the show, there are pretty strict rules about the way one can dress and interact with members of the opposite sex. These teaching push homeschooling, large families, and extreme female submissiveness and obedience. (Gothard, not surprisingly, had many sexual misconduct allegations leveled against him...and people still buy what he is selling. It's disgusting and borderline insanity to me.) Jinger speaks very candidly about her disentangling herself from this bizarre ultra conservative group. She states very strongly, several times, that she is a Christian and still believes in the Bible and a God, but not in the teachings of Gothard.

I have always been interested in different religions, which is part of the reason I chose to do my minor in Cultural Anthropology. I am very interested in cults and religious sects, simply because it is beyond my comprehension how people can buy into and obey some of the nonsense that is put forth. Jinger is a great example of a person who is born into something and raised a certain way, who then chooses to take a hard look at their life and upbringing to reconcile that with the world that exists beyond those restrictive doors. In this book, she mentions how people used to want to "free" her from her family and her religion. I have to admit that I have probably thought that she would be better off getting away from her family and those people, but it is a really rude thing to sit and judge someone for their life they were born into. I am glad that she was able to find her truth and begin living her life in a way that is authentic to her, and I hope that she continues to find happiness in her life. This was a short book, but it was worth reading.