19 Kids and Signing

For the Duggar clan, there’s nothing more important than family — even when it comes to writing and promoting your own books.

The Duggars, hailing from Arkansas, are the stars of the TLC reality show 19 Kids and Counting. As you probably figured from the title, parents Jim Bob and Michelle have a total of nineteen children — which includes two sets of twins — ranging in age from 1 and a half to 23 years old. Each one of the kids also has a name that begins with the letter J.

Tuesday marked the official release date of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s second and latest book, A Love that Multiplies. Embarking on a month-long, multi-state promotional tour that same day, the Duggar family kicked things off in New Jersey with a book signing at Bookends in Ridgewood. And yes, the entire family was in tow — including eldest son Josh’s wife, Anna, and their own 1-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Mackynzie.

“This is our first stop, and we’re so excited,” Jim Bob told the Patch as his large but well-behaved family navigated through the Ridgewood bookstore.

Arranging themselves behind three long tables, Jim Bob, Michelle, and their children happily greeted the many fans who filtered into Bookends from about 6:30 p.m. on, signing books in an assembly line format that started with son Josh at one end and concluded with mom Michelle at the other.

“This is a lot of books,” remarked 7-year-old Jackson as he carefully signed his name in dark blue marker. The youngest Duggars who didn’t yet know how to write “signed” books by drawing smiley faces with colored markers.  

The full title of the book is A Love that Multiplies: An Up Close View of How They Make It Work. And it is just that: Each chapter focuses on the principles that have equipped the Duggar family to face life’s challenges, the most recent of which was the premature birth of their youngest child, Josie, back in 2009. Jim Bob and Michelle also discuss challenges their older kids are facing as they bridge the gap into adulthood, and they also share the core values with which they raise their children. The book is written in a straightforward way, making its principles easy to be incorporated into the home of any family.

“It’s just so touching to see how many people are here,” Michelle Duggar remarked as she spoke with fans.

A few families brought along their own children who, now older, had been born prematurely like Josie Duggar.

“It’s great to see how they’re thriving,” said Michelle. “What a blessing.”

To learn more about the Duggar family, their books, and their TLC reality show, visitwww.duggarfamily.com.