Jinger Duggar’s New Book Scrutinized for Being ‘Tone Deaf’

Counting On’s Jinger Duggar and her husband Jeremy Vuolo collaborated on an inspirational book for children, but fans disagreed with how the couple addressed particular topics. Jeremy and Jinger released You Can Shine So Bright! in August 2022, but many reviewers expressed concern that it is racially insensitive and ableist. The short picture book depicts characters exemplifying love, joy, patience, and peace as the biblical “fruits of the spirit.”

Jinger announced the release of her and Jeremy’s picture book on Aug. 23 on Instagram.”We wrote You Can Shine So Bright! because we want young kids, like our two little girls Felicity and Evy Jo, to know that they have been created by God with a special purpose!” she wrote. “He wants them to know his love and to share it with the world. We hope this little book engages your kids with the stories and illustrations (@nyha_graphics is AMAZING) and encourages them to want to know Jesus and the love he gives!!!”

Nevertheless, some fans were unhappy with how the couple portrayed certain characters in the story. Without a Crystal Ball’s Katie Joy pointed out that You Can Shine So Bright! offers beautiful illustrations and racial diversity of children. Despite that, there is an unfortunate trend in Jinger’s story involving white children being associated with positive concepts while black children are linked to negative ones.

A white boy appears in the pages about “Joy,” and a white girl appears in the pages about “Peace” and “Kindness,” while a Black girl is shown stealing a balloon and not sharing toys in the section about “Self-Control.” Also, some reviewers have criticized the book for having ableist language. The text on another page reads, “He loves you too, more than you know,” accompanied by a photo of a child using a wheelchair.

There have been various negative reviews on Amazon as well. “I was gifted this book and after reading it, I threw it in the garbage,” wrote one person. “Showing a little girl of color stealing a balloon, saying that a child who has a disability is loved by God too? I will never read this book to my grandchildren.”

“The story is very privileged and smacks of a savior complex,” said another Amazon reviewer. At the time of this writing, You Can Shine So Bright! has a 2.5-star rating on Amazon. Jinger and Jeremy have not yet addressed the negative reviews.