Jinger Duggar Book: ‘Becoming Free’ Quotes, Revelations

Becoming free indeed. Jinger Vuolo (née Duggar) had fans buzzing from the moment she announced her new memoir, Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear, in which she “recounts how she began to question the harmful ideology of her youth and learned to embrace true freedom in Christ.”

In the first chapter of the highly anticipated book, which hit shelves on January 31, the Counting On alum slammed the “Free Jinger” movement – a thread on an online forum started by fans in 2005 in which they discussed their opinions on the family’s controversial beliefs – noting that while the movement’s name was amusing, she was offended that people wanted her to abandon her faith.

The Hope We Hold author went on to explain that while she doesn’t believe religion should dictate what someone eats or wears – the Duggar children had notoriously strict rules growing up, specifically, the women in the family were not allowed to wear pants – she argued that organized faith sets up building blocks for strong morals.

“I’ve come to see that unfettered freedom does not produce the good life. In the end, it often leads to more bondage. Why? Because it puts me in charge of my life, and I am not the best judge of what is best for me,” the Matchbox Coffee collaborator wrote. “If given limitless options and the responsibility of figuring out what is going to make me truly happy, I struggle to commit to anything.”

Jinger’s memoir also discusses the non-denominational religious organization, Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP), founded by Bill Gothard in 1961. In Becoming Free Indeed, the mom of two calls the minister’s teachings “wrong” and claims the religion in which she and her 18 siblings were raised encourages life “built on rules, not God’s Word.”

Additionally, Jinger shares how sister Jessa Seewald’s husband, Ben Seewald, encouraged her to learn about faith the way she wanted to.

“I noticed his church read the Bible in its entirety and preached scripture that way,” Jinger explained. “I feel like now I’m in a much better place. I see God as amazing.”

Two months after the release of her memoir, Jinger opened up about growing up under Gothard’s teaching during a March 2023 appearance on the “Cultish” podcast, saying that they put an unhealthy “fear of God” in her, which she equated to “more of a terror.”

“I was probably one of the most sensitive people in my family, so I was a rule follower,” she said. “If that was an inch on a skirt, I would be like ‘Oh, no. I can’t sit down with this skirt on.’ Because it would barely show like a quarter of my knee. I was a legalist to the extreme because that’s what Bill Gothard said would protect you.”

Jinger went on to say that despite having a “very happy childhood,” she was “wrestling” internally with “so much fear and a wrong view of God.”

“I viewed the outside world as kind of like, ‘I want to reach them. I want to share these principles with the world because this is going to help,'” the former reality star added. “I had some friends who were walking with Jesus, but they did think differently. They listened to music with drums, the women would wear pants, they wouldn’t have as many kids as possible. I would look at them and think, ‘They just don’t know. … People can still be Christians outside of this, but they just won’t have success.’ I would look at the outside world as well and be kind of scared of influences, scared of being around anyone too long who wasn’t exactly like me and my convictions.”

Deal of the Day

Only $12! — (And No One Will Know They Aren’t Designer) View Deal

While some of the Duggar siblings have supported Jinger since she announced the release of Becoming Free Indeed, some family members haven’t been as eager for the contents of the book – particularly parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, who were “bracing themselves” for its release.

“Jim Bob and Michelle aren’t thrilled by Jinger’s book coming out, but they are hoping for the best,” an insider exclusively told In Touch in November 2022. “They’re not sure of all the topics she’ll cover, but they have prayed about it and hope that it’s honest, respectful and doesn’t dredge up too much of their family troubles.”

Keep scrolling for the biggest revelations, quotes and more from Becoming Free Indeed.

Have a tip? Send it to us! Email In Touch at contact@intouchweekly.com.

‘Free Jinger’ Movement

“The curators of the website saw in me a girl they assumed didn’t have the good life because she didn’t have unbridled freedom,” Jinger wrote. “They thought, ‘If this girl could break free from her family’s ultraconservative rules — if she could wear what she wanted, date who she wanted, pursue the career she wanted, and drink what she wanted — then she would be happy.'”

At the end of the first chapter of Becoming Free Indeed, Jinger deemed the movement “wrong.”

Living in a Fishbowl

In chapter one of her memoir, Jinger compared her life on reality TV to The Truman Show, which she and husband Jeremy Vuolo watched for the first time in 2016 on their honeymoon.

“You probably already know that The Truman Show is about the ultimate fishbowl. The main character, Truman Burbank, is the star of a reality TV show, but he doesn’t know it. Every moment of his life is captured for television,” Jinger wrote, noting that she’s been on TV since she was 10 years old. “Many people from the outside world have opinions and expectations about who Truman should be and how he should live … When Truman begins to question his reality and tries to get out of Seahaven, his escape is blocked at every turn.”

She continued, “After we finished the movie, I turned to Jeremy and said, ‘That movie is my life.’”

Her Eating Disorder

“For years, I thought the best way to please others was to hide my imperfections,” the reality star wrote, detailing her private struggle with an eating disorder. “Convinced my body was an embarrassment, I ate very little. I’d go days hardly consuming any calories. My weight dropped, but my body image didn’t improve. It almost never does in those situations because the weight isn’t the problem.”

No matter “how thin” she got, she was never “satisfied with the way” she looked. “This obsession with body image was terrible for my physical health and it certainly wasn’t good for me spiritually,” she continued. “It was a downward spiral that could have gotten worse and worse.”

Where She Stands With Brother Josh

“Though I haven’t seen or spoken to Josh in nearly two years, I still pray for him,” Jinger wrote about her eldest brother, who is serving time in prison for child pornography charges. “I ask God to show Josh his desperate need for repentance. I want my brother to be genuine and honest about his sin and reject the hypocrisy that has been part of his life for so long. Only Jesus can save him.”

When ‘Counting On’ Was Canceled

Jinger recalled how she felt when TLC canceled Counting On in June 2021 after Josh was arrested on child pornography charges, which he was later found guilty of and sentenced to 12 years in prison.

“When the call ended, I wrapped my arms around Jeremy and cried. Hard. So many emotions poured out of me that day. I felt sad,” Jinger wrote. “Filming had been a constant in my life since I was around 10 years old. When the show was on break, and the crews didn’t come around for a few months, I missed the energy and excitement of interacting with all the creative people. The producers worked with my family to come up with ideas for episodes. It was fun to think of creative ways to give audiences a glimpse into our day-to-day lives.”