The Good, the Bad, and the Grace of God by Jep & Jessica Robertson with Susy Flory

Television isn’t something I watch much, so “Duck Dynasty” is something I’d heard of but had never seen, and I was not familiar with any of the Robertson clan. I read this book, which is aptly titled, because the title and description intrigued me. As advertised, the book lays out the lives of Jep and Jessica Robertson with unflinching honesty, and theirs is a very interesting and probably typical story of a young, modern couple. If this book is anything like “Duck Dynasty”, it is easy to understand the appeal because the subjects are very human, sympathetic, and open; their story left me feeling that I really understood them, warts and all. While their openness revealed at times more than I might have wanted to know, it made the story compelling and, in the end, worth the openness. They are very likable, and their journey makes a lot of sense. Both had wonderful childhoods and went through tremendous struggles in their young adulthoods but came through them triumphantly because they came to Jesus and grew fast and strong in their faith, surrounded by supportive family and friends. The transformation of their lives individually and together stands as a testament to the power of God at work today. One mistake slipped by the co-author and editors: on page 82, Jep’s maternal grandmother is said to have died of “sclerosis of the liver”; undoubtedly it should have been “cirrhosis of the liver”. I received this book for free in exchange for my unbiased review through the Thomas Nelson BookSneeze program.