Friday, April 19, 2013

Book Review: The Duck Commander Family by Willie and Korie Robertson

Buy from the Book Depository
Title: Duck Commander Family: How Faith, Family, and Ducks Built a Dynasty
Authors: Willie and Korie Robertson
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Paperback: 272 pages
Summary: (taken from Goodreads)
Faith. Family. Ducks—in that order. This book gives readers an up-close and personal, behind-the-scenes look at the family in the exploding A&E show—Duck Dynasty. This Louisiana bayou family operates Duck Commander, a booming family business that has made them millions. You’ll hear all about the Robertson clan from Willie and what it was like growing up in the Robertson household. You’ll sample some of Willie’s favorite family recipes from Phil, Kay, and even some of his own concoctions; and you’ll get to know the beautiful Robertson women. You’ll hear from Korie about the joys and hardships of raising a family, running a business, and wrangling the Robertson men while staying fashionable and beautiful inside and out. Discover more about the family dynamics between brothers Willie, Jase, Jep, and parents Phil and Kay. You’ll even meet a fourth brother who isn’t in the show.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5

As a new fan of the Duck Dynasty show on television, I was excited to buy a copy of Duck Commander Family because I wanted to know more about the Robertson clan. This book definitely did not disappoint me. It’s well written, honest and very entertaining.

I loved the fact that Duck Commander Family is written from the points of view of both Willie and his wife Korie. There is definitely a difference in the way they were both raised as children, so to get the two perspectives enhances the reality of the book. Willie, a “redneck” country boy, was raised with a lot less money than Korie, who is a self-proclaimed city girl. So when the two get together, it’s fun to see the dynamics of clashing cultures.

The book centers on the Duck Commander business, which has been operating for over forty years. Phil Robertson, who is Willie’s father, started the business in his house. With a lot of hard work and salesmanship, Phil, along with the rest of the family members have made duck calls a multi-million dollar business, with Willie as CEO. This is not just a G-rated story about backwoods country folk who got rich. This is about raising and redefining the meaning of family, to include adoption, foreign exchange members, and friends.

My favorite part of Duck Commander Family is getting to know each character a lot more. Whereas the TV show Duck Dynasty does not reveal each member of the main characters' families, the book does. That depth alone makes it worth buying the book, and adding that it is extremely well written makes it a well deserved best seller!