The Good, the Bad, and the Grace of God by Jep and Jessica Robertson

The Good, the Bad, and the Grace of God: What Honesty and Pain Taught Us About Faith, Family, and Forgiveness
by Jep and Jessica Robertson with Susy Flory

Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Publishing; 1St Edition edition (June 23, 2015)
ISBN-13: 978-0718031480
Kindle: 1434 KB
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (June 23, 2015)
ASIN: B00QL9LFFS
Available on Amazon

Unexpected Charm

I picked this up on impulse at the library. I don't watch Duck Dynasty, so I had only a vague idea of who Jep & Jessica Robertson are.  I found out that Jep is the youngest brother of five in the Robertson clan, and that Jess is his wife. The book alternates chapters between Jessica and Jep, each telling their stories from growing up as children in the South, in the same town, but never meeting until they were in their twenties. The narratives have a rough charm, with Jep's childhood sounding like a modern Huck Finn's : "Dad always said we're not rednecks, we're river rats."

Jessica is the girl next door, tomboy who loves the outdoors. Both Jep and Jessica have happy childhoods. In early adulthood however, Jep's dream of a basketball scholarship dies with a badly broken foot, and he falls into drugs. Jessica slips into an eating disorder and a hasty marriage to an older man which ends in quick and painful divorce. They are both just freshly resolved to turn over new leafs when they meet and fall in love. This is when their love story starts, and it is not a smooth one.

I am not from the South, so I do find the description of growing up there different and interesting. The Robertsons are deeply religious, and this couple's story is about how turning to God has changed their lives and continues to be their cornerstone.

Fans of Duck Dynasty will undoubtedly love this book, but even readers like me, who have never watched the show, can enjoy it on its own basis. I found Jep and Jessica's story authentic, sympathetic, sometimes humorous, and unexpectedly charming.

The Good, The Bad, and The Grace of God is on Amazon.

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