The Good, the Bad, and the Grace of God {a BookLook Blogger review}

On my vacation, I picked up The Good, the Bad, and the Grace of God by Jep and Jessica Robertson to read.  I expected it to be something I could read a chapter or two at a time.

Nope.

Read half the book one night, and finished it the next.

From the publisher:

A Moving Story of Redemption and Second Chances

Jep Robertson, the youngest son of Duck Commander Phil Robertson, and his wife, Jessica, open up about their personal trials, their early years together, and the challenges that might have destroyed them both had the grace of God not intervened. Jep describes being molested as a child and his reluctance to tell anyone until only a few years ago, his downward spiral into drug and alcohol abuse, and the eventual intervention of his family. Jessica shares about the difficult failure of her first marriage while still a teenager and the hurt that came along with it, much of it from the church. Her insecurities spun out of control as she wondered whether she would ever be good enough or pretty enough. This book is their love story but, more importantly, their love story for God.

“We are desperate to let people know that no matter what you’ve done; no matter what you’ve lived through, you can come out of it. You can be washed clean. You are redeemed."

My thoughts:

I don't know what I expected.  We do watch Duck Dynasty some, and I've seen assorted interviews or public statements made by various Robertson family members.  I know I saw something that led me to suspect that Jep Robertson had followed in his father's footsteps a bit as far as addiction or something.  But I really didn't know a lot of details, and certainly didn't know much about the background of his wife, Jessica.

I loved how the story was told.  Chapters alternated between Jess and Jep, starting with where they first met (a hair salon), then going back through their childhoods and moving chronologically at that point to somewhere near the present.  It was fun to see their different takes on some of the same events.

One thing I really appreciated was how open Jessica was about her insecurities and her feelings of inadequacy.  I know that is something I struggle with too, and probably a lot of women do, but nobody really talks about it.  Or at least not the pretty, blonde, thin women.  It's usually people more like me.  "If I lost 50 pounds, then I'd feel good about myself."  Only with reading this from Jessica, I realize that weight isn't the cure for insecurity either.

Bottom line is that this book made these two celebrities far more real and human, and I couldn't put the book down.




Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”