Unspeakable: Surviving My Childhood and Finding My Voice
- Downloads：6205
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-11-02 07:21:49
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Jessica Willis Fisher
- ISBN：B09Y1DG949
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Emily M
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This was a hard book to read。 As a memoir， it's well-constructed and well-written。 I couldn't put it down。 I can't say that I enjoyed it because the subject matter was so horrible， but it helped me understand a bit more why someone I'm connected to has not yet fingered the brother we're 95% sure molested her throughout childhood and why she has instead acted the way she did towards her ex-husband， who was one of the good men like Jessica's husband Sean。 It's hard for an outsider to understand ho This was a hard book to read。 As a memoir， it's well-constructed and well-written。 I couldn't put it down。 I can't say that I enjoyed it because the subject matter was so horrible， but it helped me understand a bit more why someone I'm connected to has not yet fingered the brother we're 95% sure molested her throughout childhood and why she has instead acted the way she did towards her ex-husband， who was one of the good men like Jessica's husband Sean。 It's hard for an outsider to understand how someone could defend a toxic family member and reject the good people who want to help， but the book truly illuminates the confusion in which a victim or a family of victims may be trapped。 It's well worth reading。Having grown up in a safe， happy， and loving Evangelical homeschool family， it's hard for me to read about such evil hyprocrites like Jessica's father and wonder how many of the more hardcore large families I knew growing up had the same facade covering a more dark and traumatic reality。 When some of my friends escaped a cult in their early twenties and lived with my parents for a while to get used to the real world， our family talked about how our healthy family life made us naive to the ugliness that can be hiding under the surface of people who claim to share our faith。 This book is indeed eye opening， and I hope that it has made me more discerning and compassionate。 I appreciate that she doesn't vilify all homeschoolers or large families or Christians writ large， simply stating the problematic assumptions and teachings that were part of her experience of all those subcultures。 Jessica writes of her conflicted relationship with her mother and siblings who have stayed in the band with a notable graciousness， even as she points out that they're telling a story different at some seemingly significant points from hers。 I am moved and impressed with the maturity and restraint that accompany her determination for truth and recovering her own voice。 I've been a fan of Jessica as a musical artist for a long time and look forward to following where she goes from here。 。。。more
Joy Beaver
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This book wrecked me。 After following the Willis family in at height of their popularity， I was intrigued by what had happened to them， so preordered this book。 It hit my Kindle this morning， and I started reading it to just get a taste of her writing style。 Instead， I ended up reading the entire book without taking a break。 The harrowing details of her painful story are captivating， but the deeper appeal of her story is her ability to make you feel her confusion， her torment， her struggles long This book wrecked me。 After following the Willis family in at height of their popularity， I was intrigued by what had happened to them， so preordered this book。 It hit my Kindle this morning， and I started reading it to just get a taste of her writing style。 Instead， I ended up reading the entire book without taking a break。 The harrowing details of her painful story are captivating， but the deeper appeal of her story is her ability to make you feel her confusion， her torment， her struggles long after the abuse ended。 Several times I had to lay my device down and cry with her before I could continue reading。 With alarming and refreshing transparency， Jessica is not afraid to ask the hard questions。 We should all be kinder to our younger selves and not be afraid to do the hard work to live the life we deserve。 。。。more
Kelly Pramberger
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This ARC was given to me by Thomas Nelson in exchange for an honest review。Five stars for Fisher！ What a detailed book about her life as one of 12 children born to an abusive father。 It was difficult to read at times due to the subject matter but with excellent writing and emotion it's worth it。"Unspeakable: Surviving My childhood and Finding My Voice shares:An unflinching look at the manipulation and codependency that defines abusive family relationshipsThe formative moments of Jessica's childh This ARC was given to me by Thomas Nelson in exchange for an honest review。Five stars for Fisher！ What a detailed book about her life as one of 12 children born to an abusive father。 It was difficult to read at times due to the subject matter but with excellent writing and emotion it's worth it。"Unspeakable: Surviving My childhood and Finding My Voice shares:An unflinching look at the manipulation and codependency that defines abusive family relationshipsThe formative moments of Jessica's childhood through her eyesAn unforgettable story of courage and strengthBeautifully written and monumental in its bravery， Fisher's story is proof that we can all become so much more that the things that happen to us。" 。。。more
Marie
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Jessica is the oldest of the Willis children from the TLC show The Willis Family。 The father was arrested for abusing several of the girls and she has written a memoir to share her story。 Reading Jessica’s words as she tried to explain what was happening in her family home was very difficult at times。 She didn’t hold back。 How hard it must have been to live and relive that abuse。 I imagine only people who have been in situations where they were controlled to this degree can understand why the Wi Jessica is the oldest of the Willis children from the TLC show The Willis Family。 The father was arrested for abusing several of the girls and she has written a memoir to share her story。 Reading Jessica’s words as she tried to explain what was happening in her family home was very difficult at times。 She didn’t hold back。 How hard it must have been to live and relive that abuse。 I imagine only people who have been in situations where they were controlled to this degree can understand why the Willis kids didn’t use their voice to stop the abuse。 I appreciate her raw honesty both as she shared about the abuse and as she took us on her journey of healing。 It is obvious that she is a master with words not only in her song writing but also in much of the descriptions she uses in her book。 Although it didn’t always flow in a way that allowed the reader to know exactly where we were chronologically， that kind jumping around sort of adds to the raw intensity of her story。 I think overall she did a very impressive job recalling the details of her life and telling them in a way that allows the reader to follow along and understand。 It wasn’t an easy read but I knew it wouldn’t be when I opened it。 I received an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion。 。。。more
Kayo
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Truly unbelievable。 Remarkable story。 Thanks to author， publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book。 While I got the book for free， it had no bearing on the rating I gave it。
Kathy
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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC in exchange for an honest review。 Unspeakable by Jessica Willis Fisher is the horrifying true story of Ms。 Willis-Fisher and her younger siblings upbringing in an extremely conservative church。 I was very interested in this book when I read the description， as I was also raised in a Baptist church until I was fortunate enough to break free at the age of 16。 Jessica's life and experience were way more harrowing and horrific than my exper Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC in exchange for an honest review。 Unspeakable by Jessica Willis Fisher is the horrifying true story of Ms。 Willis-Fisher and her younger siblings upbringing in an extremely conservative church。 I was very interested in this book when I read the description， as I was also raised in a Baptist church until I was fortunate enough to break free at the age of 16。 Jessica's life and experience were way more harrowing and horrific than my experience。 Her parents believed the man was the head of the household and the woman was to be obedient。 The Willis parents had 13 children because Mr。 Willis didn't believe in birth control。 Jessica and her siblings were forced to perform musically - no dating， no movies， no outside friends。 The worst part was that the children's father was sexually molesting the girls， over a period of years。 Jessica's mother was either completely clueless or incapable of standing up for her daughters。 Unspeakable is a memoir about the abuses of the church and its leadership and the abuses that stem from such archaic beliefs - from a book written thousands of years ago by mere mortal men。 Unspeakable perfectly sums up what happens when religion is taken to extremes and there is no one to help the victims escape。 。。。more
Abby
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I'm at a loss for words to describe the rawness and courage of this memoir。 I inhaled Jessica Willis Fisher's words within 24 hours and am still thinking about them now。 A huge trigger warning for child abuse， sexual abuse， violence and more - but if you are in a good place to be able to read something this heavy， I highly recommend it。Thank you to W Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book ahead of its release。 I'm at a loss for words to describe the rawness and courage of this memoir。 I inhaled Jessica Willis Fisher's words within 24 hours and am still thinking about them now。 A huge trigger warning for child abuse， sexual abuse， violence and more - but if you are in a good place to be able to read something this heavy， I highly recommend it。Thank you to W Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book ahead of its release。 。。。more
Mhughessc
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Having heard of the Willis family and then seeing the news of what was really happening behind the scenes， I was interested in reading this book。 Jessica Willis Fisher shares her childhood memories with transparency and gut-wrenching honesty。 The Willis family appeared on TV as a happy， loving family who really had it all。 However， that was a mirage to cover up the insidious nature of what was taking place behind closed doors。 It was horrifying to read about the sexual， verbal， and physical abus Having heard of the Willis family and then seeing the news of what was really happening behind the scenes， I was interested in reading this book。 Jessica Willis Fisher shares her childhood memories with transparency and gut-wrenching honesty。 The Willis family appeared on TV as a happy， loving family who really had it all。 However， that was a mirage to cover up the insidious nature of what was taking place behind closed doors。 It was horrifying to read about the sexual， verbal， and physical abuse that Jessica and her siblings had to endure。 While this book was hard to read， it was eye-opening and a good reminder that you just never really know the real truth。 It was especially hard to read about how the Bible and religion was used as a weapon and bartering tool。 The author did a great job of explaining the specific counseling techniques that helped her。 I'm so thankful that she is doing as well as possible now， and incredibly happy that her father is behind bars where he belongs。It's hard to rate this book as a "5" due to the awful nature of the material， yet I really appreciated Fisher's honesty and her writing style。 Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Tena
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September 27th， 2015 my husband and I went to see the Willis Clan at the Harvester Performance Center in Rocky Mount， Virginia。 My husband wasn't familiar with them but I was a big fan of the TV show。 I liked their sound and was very excited to be able to see them。 Before we went to the show we decided to stop at a local restaurant and eat。 I was stunned to see the family， or most of them， eating there too。 I did not go and interrupt their meal but my husband kept saying they look like they're u September 27th， 2015 my husband and I went to see the Willis Clan at the Harvester Performance Center in Rocky Mount， Virginia。 My husband wasn't familiar with them but I was a big fan of the TV show。 I liked their sound and was very excited to be able to see them。 Before we went to the show we decided to stop at a local restaurant and eat。 I was stunned to see the family， or most of them， eating there too。 I did not go and interrupt their meal but my husband kept saying they look like they're upset。 I thought maybe it was the weather because it was a rainy day。 But as the dinner progressed I noticed that nobody met each other's eyes and they were very quiet， with little to no conversation。 They had to have been aware that people knew who they were but there was literally no interaction with anyone else or each other。 The show was wonderful！ Great banter with the audience and perfect dancing and singing。 My husband came away as a fan。 We bought the shirts and the CDs and met most of the family。 Brenda was working the merchandise table and I was thrilled to be able to meet her。 But I noticed that she was very flat faced。 Literally no emotion at all。 She smiled and said the right things but her eyes were just kind of hollow。 She was also very skinny。 My husband made the comment that he didn't know how a woman who had had that many children managed to look that skinny。 I thought maybe she was just tired。 I was stunned when the news broke about the allegations against their father but looking back it was obvious something must not right with the family。When I was given the opportunity to receive an advanced copy of Unspeakable I jumped at the chance。 I was hoping that it would stop my imagination from going to dark places about what might have happened with the children。 But I was wrong。 The story is even worse than I think any of us could have imagined。 How Jessica Willis Fisher lived through the trauma and managed to come out as a stronger person is beyond me。 My technical review of the book is it is very well written， informative， and educational。 By that I mean there is so much information available for people who are going through trauma。 Not only how important counseling is but different levels of trauma and recovery that you go through as a victim and books that can help you begin to understand the process。 One big takeaway for me。 Jessica began to better understand her father when she realized that it was his problem and not hers。 Her problem was surviving and moving on。 Her father's problems were so deep and ingrained in his mind that I can see no way he could ever be rehabilitated。 Here's a scary thought。 So many of the ideals and beliefs that he enforced are present in the religious groups today。 Fanaticism has taken the place of a loving God。 Toby Willis used this religious fanaticism to justify his behavior。 So， if you are even slightly religious， be prepared。The impact this book will leave on people will the life-changing。 I am not a victim of child abuse or sexual assault。 The horror and sadness I felt while reading this book was so intense that I cannot even imagine what people who have lived this life will feel。 I guess some of them will feel relief knowing that they aren't the only ones。 This was one of the revelations that Jessica realized on her road to recovery。 Several times I had to put the book down and walk away。 It was too overwhelming。 I forced myself to read it in one day because I was afraid that if I did not then I would never pick it up and finish it。 Even then I had an extremely restless night with dreams that I won't talk about。 I do recommend that you read the book。 First of all to understand that this happens in the world around us every single day。 That our awareness and empathy is vital for people to survive this type of horror。 And it is horror， not just trauma。 My emotions are mixed when it comes to Jessica's family's response and reactions before and after this story came out。 My heart breaks for Brenda but I'm also angry at her as a mother。 I understand her helplessness but so many opportunities presented itself for her to save her children。 Having never lived it I'm not passing judgment on her。 I just feel incredibly sorry for her。I know this is a long review but the reader simply cannot say it was good or bad， yes you should read it or no you shouldn't and walk away。 If someone reads this book and it doesn't touch your soul and your heart then you also have a problem。 Having said that， as Jess says in the first of the book， this is a huge trigger warning before you pick the book up to read。 It is explicit， raw， and heartbreaking。 But after having finished the book I have more respect and admiration for Jessica Willis Fisher than any other person。 Her bravery and determination to tell her story in order to help others is simply incredible。I voluntarily received a copy of this book from Netgalley。 。。。more
Maureen
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Jessica has written of her family trauma with strength， truth， and grace。 What a blessing that she was able to find people to believe her and work for her， even when she sometimes felt she did not deserve their help。 Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for my review。
Stephanie
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