Another Duggar daughter has written book detailing the “secrets, manipulation, and intimidation” behind TLC’s ‘19 Kids and Counting” and “Counting On.”
Jill Duggar Dillard, the fourth oldest of the infamous brood, and her husband, Derick Dillard, announced Wednesday they will release “Counting the Cost” in January. According to People magazine, the memoir promises to reveal “the unedited truth about the Duggars.”
“Jill grew up in front of viewers who were fascinated by her family’s way of life. She was the responsible, second daughter of Jim Bob and Michelle’s nineteen kids; always with a baby on her hip and happy to wear the modest ankle-length dresses with throat-high necklines,” Simon and Schuster wrote in its description of the book. “She didn’t protest the strict model of patriarchy that her family followed, which declares that men are superior, that women are expected to be wives and mothers and are discouraged from attaining a higher education, and that parental authority over their children continues well into adulthood, even once they are married.
“But as Jill got older, married Derick, and they embarked on their own lives, the red flags became too obvious to ignore.”
More than 4 million people tuned in to her two-hour wedding ceremony to Dillard. But now that they have a family of their own, the publisher wrote, “they’re done with the secrets. Thanks to time, tears, therapy, and blessings from God, they have the strength to share their journey. Theirs is a remarkable story of the power of the truth and is a moving example of how to find healing through honesty.”
“The challenges we have faced, including lack of respect for boundaries, greed, manipulation, and betrayal, are not that much different than what many people in our audience have faced,” the couple wrote on Instagram. “However, 15+ years of reality television, undergirded by secrecy and lies, is tantamount to pouring gasoline on the fire of our struggle.”
America’s love for the Duggar family began to wane when it was revealed oldest child Josh Duggar had molested his sisters when they were younger. In 2015, Jill and sister Jessa were interviewed by Megyn Kelly and made it seem all was forgiven and forgotten.
“Jill admitted that she felt ‘oligated to do it’ thanks to pressure from her father, Jim Bob, who is known for his controlling behavior toward his 19 children,” according to Cafe Mom.
“I don’t even like to talk about it because it’s not something that I’m proud of,” she said in the docuseries “Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets,” according to the New York Post.
“I would not call it voluntary,” Derick Dillard said. “Like, ‘You’re gonna destroy yourself, but we need you to take the fall so we can carry the show forward because the show cannot fail.’ (The Duggars) were gonna do whatever they could to get the return on their investment. If that meant collateral damage, that meant collateral damage.”
Simon and Schuster lists the price of the hardcover book at $28.99, with availability on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, and Books-A-Million.
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