Unspeakable by Jessica Willis Fisher
I’ve recently found myself more drawn toward nonfiction books, specifically celebrity memoirs — Jamie Lynn Spears’ Things I Should Have Said and Jennette McCurdy’s I’m Glad My Mom Died are two I recall off the top of my head that are described as “bombshell” reads.
When Jessica Willis Fisher’s Unspeakable (Thomas Nelson) was offered to me for review, I jumped at the chance. Another bombshell memoir sounded right up my alley, after all. But I was not expecting the depth at which Fisher would share her world, nor how gracefully she would navigate it for us.
A DIFFICULT TALE TOLD WITH GRACE
Unspeakable tells the story of the incomprehensible, disturbing life of abuse and neglect that Jessica Willis Fisher lived through. She speaks about appalling abuse and the trauma she had suffered, all while conveying a type of indescribable hope — an almost “light at the end of the tunnel” message for readers to take with them. Overcoming such things couldn’t have been easy, but to write a book — the courage it must have taken, to lay herself bare in the hopes of helping others in a similar situation, is astounding and worthy of admiration.
That being said, this isn’t an easy book to read. Some of the content is deeply troubling and triggering — dare I say, unspeakable — but it was important for me to finish the book and to be able to see where Fisher was in her life on that final page. While some of the terrible events of the book were difficult to wrap my head around, Fisher wrote these scenes with thoughtfulness, grace and even beauty.
A LIFE-CHANGING BOOK
What actually drew me to this book was the religious aspect and how it was twisted to control an entire family. I find it incredible that people can take beliefs and turn them into a weapon in order to gain power over others. It’s nothing new, of course — but it is fascinating and downright terrifying.
I don’t wish to go into the details of the suffering Jessica Willis Fisher endured in her life, because her story is not mine to tell — and Unspeakable is a book that should be read, especially by girls and women who may think that they will forever be defined by the things that happen to them (spoiler alert: It won’t if you don’t let it).
Unspeakable by Jessica Willis Fisher is an unforgettable memoir about how she overcame her family trauma with strength, truth and grace. This book will change lives, I have no doubt.
About Jessica Willis Fisher:
Jessica Willis Fisher is a singer/songwriter, performing artist, and author who believes that sharing our stories with one another will change the world. Growing up the eldest daughter in a toxic and abusive household, she performed with her family band, The Willis Clan, until her departure in 2016 at the age of 23. Her first book, Unspeakable, narrates her harrowing struggle to both articulate her childhood experience and find her true voice on the other side of emotional, physical and sexual abuse. A passionate advocate for survivors, Jessica lives in Nashville, TN with her husband, Sean Fisher.
