The Duggars: 20 and Counting!: Raising One of America's Largest Families--How They Do It

I bought this book recently, and it is just wonderful. Anyone who thought that they are weird, closeted religious fanatics will change their minds if they read this. Michelle and JimBob *are* strong Christians, with a conviction to allow God to control their family size. This does not mean that they breed like animals or take fertility drugs to have as many children as they can. Instead, they enjoy each other, and enjoy their life together. What this means is that if God has chosen for this one to be the last, they will accept it, and not go to extraordinary lengths to achieve a pregnancy. They will also welcome with open arms any children God blesses them with. This is really not an unusual viewpoint to have today, believe it or not. It IS hard to do. I know, because I and many of my friends follow a life that does not include artificial birth control. Michelle is one of the lucky ones. Out of 19 pregnancies, she has 18 children. Most of us have much smaller families. I have four, and I know several with less than five. The average seems to be 6 or 7. Please don't assume that those of us with many less children don't believe in the same thing! We just weren't blessed with that number of full-term births. Reading this book, I am struck by the real-life education that these children are receiving. The children have been involved in their family businesses since birth! They have real skills, including building a house (!), that most video-playing, couch potato children of today are lacking. They will be ready for their adult lives when the time comes. I am sure that employers will line up to hire these honest, hard-working young men and women. They can only be a benefit to society. I am a fan, obviously, but even I was amazed at how much more *normal* they seem compared to the tv show. I didn't know that the reason they are debt-free was simple hard work and planning. I didn't know that the tv show did NOT finish their house completely. That they went a whole year after moving in without air conditioning, until they saved up for it!!! Ditto for a yard. The show is NOT how they paid for their house, or why they can afford their children. Remember, the show was 15 and pregnant again. They had 15 children when they first had a show! They were supporting them themselves. Instead of criticizing these people, read the book and find out the truth. They are a hard-working, good-natured couple who have been blessed abundantly, and are generous enough to share it with others. I recommend this book for everyone. It will open your eyes to a lifestyle that is a true blessing to everyone.

I ordered this book, and in two days I had read the entire thing. It is an easy, quick read, and reveals a ton of information that is not discussed or shown in their documentaries on Discovery and TLC. I appreciated their openness in discussing their personal pasts as children, how they started from nothing to owning various businesses (convenience store, used-car lots), to getting to where they are now as owners of larger commercial rental properties. They truly are a frugal family, especially when I read about Jim Bob building one working 21-passenger bus from two other buses. It's truly extraordinary how they make things work with their finances, children, and marriage. They do speak candidly about their faith, but it doesn't feel preachy. Although it's easy to see that they are big believers in the teachings of Bill Gothard, I did not believe they pushed it onto the reader. As another reviewer mentioned, it was more of sharing how their family does things in their home. I'd recommend this book as an inspirational, quick read that even smaller families (which is almost all of us!) can benefit from. Her section on organization (as their family was moving from their first home to their second), I found to be incredibly helpful - worth the price of the book alone. Great book!

I'm only half way through and I do love the Duggar's - but I have to say I cannot believe how frank and honest they are in this book - all the critiscims people have made of their family like "why doesn't Michelle breastfeed for birthcontrol?" - these are all addressed in the book. Also I'm ashamed to admit I assumed they had inherited money and that they got health insurance from Jim Bob's brief stint in the house of Reps - wrong wrong wrong - they are incredibly frugal and always have been - they started out with nothing married as teenagers and have saved and scrimped until they came to the relative financial security they have today (not wealth, security) - also they have a health insurance plan with high deductibles to make it more affordable - once again - I'm astounded they shared all these very personal details. I am absolutely loving this book and can't wait to finish.

I've really enjoyed reading this book. I love watching the Duggar family on television and am now happy to know a little more about them. They explain many of their past and present business ventures that have helped them to keep up with the expenses of their growing family. The best aspect of their family is showing the secular world that people can be completely happy and content living life putting God first. I think their family is truly a blessing to TV viewers and this book helps solidfy everything that is shown on their TV series and specials. Recipes and many helpful tips are included as well as resources for books that they've used to help them organize and structure their lives while still being flexible enough for unexpected events. I recommend this book for everyone and hope that it helps many families live better lives!!

I had my library order this book for me for their collection, and it arrived early (hence the review before publication date). I read the book in a few hours today. It is quite an interesting read with lots of information that has never been included in their television specials. The Duggars write about their political run, child rearing philosphies, daily schedule, organizing and chore methods, their businesses (past and present), and many more topics. There are many recipes and pictures with captions (some from before they had any kids) scattered throughout the book. Most of the recipes are available on their family website, though. The Duggars even included a floor plan of their home which cleared up some confusion for me as to where things were located after watching their tv shows. I was surprised to read that even though their home was professionally decorated by Discovery Health/TLC, there were a couple of things not included/completed in their home their first year that many of us would not want to live without in our own homes. They had to save up to afford them. I think some of us probably get the wrong impression from their shows that they have a lot of money in the bank. After reading the book I believe that they really are frugal and need to be to provide for their family. I wish the book had included more information on how they really live frugally today. Possibly some information on the menus they follow to budget food expenses or more overall budget/expense information on how they truly afford 17+ kids, would have made an interesting addition. Also, there is only a little tidbit about the girls' "dress code". I wish they had included more information about how they came to decide on it and when they started the modest dress code. It was overall an interesting read and gave me a more complete understanding of this large God fearing family.