Multiple Bles8ings: Surviving to Thriving with Twins and Sextuplets [Hardcover]

Jon Gosselin (Author), Kate Gosselin (Author), Beth Carson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 14, 2008

Eight children in three years? Impossible! Kate and Jon Gosselin have learned that, through God, all things are possible---though sometimes slightly improbable. Just three years after giving birth to twin daughters, Kate and Jon learned they were pregnant again---with sextuplets. In Multiple Blessings, Kate candidly chronicles the emotional and exhausting challenges she and Jon faced from the time the babies were conceived through the first two years of their lives. This amazing story of faith provides a heartening lesson in what it means to trust the faithful hand of God to provide the strength and courage to make it through life's seemingly impossible situations.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Infertility treatments, twins, more infertility treatments, followed by six beating hearts on an ultrasound screen. That sets up the Gosselins' memoir of the exhausting and joyous events surrounding the births of their now famous sextuplets. Those familiar with the TLC program Jon & Kate Plus 8 know how their household runs; now their story comes alive for readers as well. Kate admits, "I was a bit of a control freak," yet also quickly draws on and receives the "peace of God... like a security blanket" through her months in the hospital, Jon's job loss and the impending arrivals. Details such as how they chose names; the sextuplets' birth day of May 10, 2004; and the babies' weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit are fascinating, as are stories of running a household that was perpetually full of volunteers, looked like "baby base camp" and required carefully sequenced nightly bath time. The Gosselins' life is a whirlwind, with their book reflecting the fast-paced, faith-filled approach they take to raising their twins and their miracle sextuplets. (Nov.)
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Review

Infertility treatments, twins, more infertility treatments, followed by six beating hearts on an ultrasound screen. That sets up the Gosselins' memoir of the exhausting and joyous events surrounding the births of their now famous sextuplets. Those familiar with the TLC program Jon and Kate Plus 8 know how their household runs; now their story comes alive for readers as well. Kate admits, 'I was a bit of a control freak,' yet also quickly draws on and receives the 'peace of God... like a security blanket' through her months in the hospital, Jon's job loss and the impending arrivals. Details such as how they chose names; the sextuplets' birth day of May 10, 2004; and the babies' weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit are fascinating, as are stories of running a household that was perpetually full of volunteers, looked like 'baby base camp' and required carefully sequenced nightly bath time. The Gosselins' life is a whirlwind, with their book reflecting the fast-paced, faith-filled approach they take to raising their twins and their miracle sextuplets. (Nov.) -- Publisher's Weekly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (October 14, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310289025
• ISBN-13: 978-0310289029
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (259 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #301,815 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #22 in Books > Parenting & Relationships > Family Relationships > Twins & Multiples

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Well written, but..., January 18, 2009

By 

Special K - See all my reviews

This review is from: Multiple Bles8ings: Surviving to Thriving with Twins and Sextuplets (Hardcover)

This book is well-written and definitely fills in the gap of time between the birth of the twins and sextuplets and the beginning of the Gosselins' reality show.

That said, I am going to disagree with some of the other reviews and say that this book would be more enjoyable for people who are NOT regular viewers of "Jon & Kate + 8." As one who has seen nearly the whole series, the book left me confused. Besides a bible verse awkwardly taped on the wall of the family's kitchen and the odd reference to Jesus here and there, I had never gotten the impression that Christianity played much of a role in the Gosselin's lives. This book is VERY faith-based, which I have no problem with, but it comes out of left field and seems to overreach at some points to validate Kate's decision-making.

The book's subtitle, "From Surviving to Thriving," also seems a touch inaccurate. I was anticipating at least a chapter chronicling the family's decision to do their reality show, and how this decision brought them the financial security to "thrive." Instead, the family just seems to be "surviving" throughout the entire book; not even the wealth of biblical references could turn this into an uplifting story for me. Kate's tone is controlling and negative, border lining on annoying. I appreciate that she takes numerous opportunities to thank everyone who lended them support during their difficult years, but is it asking too much to then connect the dots and assert that this led them to "thrive"? In her recollection of events, it seems that Kate rarely validated the hundreds of people who donated their time to help care for the sextuplets in the first year of their lives; on the contrary, it seems she was annoyed and resentful. For instance, there is a part in the book where Kate describes how she felt when several VOLUNTEERS would chat about non-baby things amongst themselves in between feeding the sextuplets. She writes, "I would often sit with a glazed look in my eyes trying to remember when I actually thought any of those topics were worthy of that much discussion." That's an honest statement that I commend her for admitting to, but I was disappointed when it wasn't followed by any reflection or evidence of growth - and isn't that what the book is supposed to be about? There were too many of these instances in the book for me to believe that Kate has grown spiritually as part of her journey, so all the faith references lose a lot of credibility.

I hate to write such a critical review of this book while I generally enjoy the show, but I'm confused now - what kind of family story is this? Recent episodes have chronicled Kate's tummy tuck, Jon's hair plugs, family trips to NY to do TV interviews, lavish paid-for vacations full of strategic product placement - Is God the driving force behind this too, now that 1) the kids are reaching an age where such attention could cause damaging effects down the road and 2) the Gosselin family are millionaires thanks to their series, books and speaking and endorsement fees? Is this a happy ending of a survival story thanks to the grace of God, or is it the beginning of an excessive reality empire, thanks to the grace of God?

This book left me confused, unsatisfied, and ironically liking Jon and especially Kate a little less. I'm glad it was purchased for me as a gift.

51 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Some good qualities but disappointing overall, December 11, 2008

By 

Lisa Kloet (Elmhurst, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Multiple Bles8ings: Surviving to Thriving with Twins and Sextuplets (Hardcover)

I'm a huge fan of the show and bought the book as soon as I learned of it. I was expecting the book to be a more candid account of their lives. Unfortunately, it was rather impersonal and left many unanswered questions. In the book Kate says she can be stand-offish and that's clear from reading her story. I was hoping for some insight into what the day is like when the cameras are not around. Has Kate ever had a full time nanny to help her once all the volunteers left? They are obviously Christians so why do they talk so little about their faith on the show? I also thought someone would talk about whether Jon still works since their financial situation has undoubtedly changed because of the show. There was also nothing in the book to explain why Jon and Kate's parents have no involvement with their family. An overall disappointment.

139 of 173 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very well written. Good writting style, flow and timeline of events., October 29, 2008

By 

mom23boys "mom23boys" (Minneapolis) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Multiple Bles8ings: Surviving to Thriving with Twins and Sextuplets (Hardcover)

When the book came out I noticed that the author is Beth Carson (along with Kate Gosselin). On the TV show "Jon and Kate Plus 8", it has been shown that Beth Carson is a friend of Kate's, so I assumed the book would lack an experienced writing style. I was wrong! This book is VERY well written with an excellent flow and time-line of events.

The story is told by Kate with details that go past what the TV show documents. One way to explain it is that the TV series shows the action while the book provides insight into the emotional roller coaster and thoughts experienced by the parents, immediate family and some volunteers. Kate does a good job of explaining the mental and physical stress of raising six infants, along with a set of twin toddlers. Kate didn't paint herself as a saint and openly talks about the times she was wrong and as she stated "not winning any friends". As a mom myself of multiples I thought the book gave an accurate portrayal of the stress of bed rest, carrying multiples, and the mental exhaustion that takes it's ugly toll on relationships.

The book discusses the inital fertily treatment (an IUI), Kate's hospital stay while on bedrest, their early days in a condo by the hospital and their first house (not the house seen on TV). Each chapter of the book has a personal photo from the Gosselin family which are fairly generic and similar to what has been seen on the TV series. But unlike the TV series the book goes into detail about the parents of Jon and Kate and other immediate family members. Those family members are mentioned lovingly quiet often which Fans of the show may find interesting.

The book does have many religious references, but are not stated in a preachy way. They seem to be made only to point out the reasoning behind decisions Jon and Kate made, and to follow the title/theme of the book Multiple "Blessings".

I have noticed many negative reviews and it seems they are based on a personal disagreement with the Gosselin's lifestyle. Of course everyone is entitled to disagree with the Gosselin's -- I don't always agree with what I see on TV myself. BUT unfortunately it seems the majority of negative reviews have nothing to do with the contents of the book and more to do with the flood of recent tabloid press the family has received. The book doesn't seem to be written to make themselves look good - but written more in a diary style. Whether you are a fan or a critic, I think you will agree that the book is well written. Multiple Blessings is a fairly quick read that is well worth it for anyone who is curious about this family or for someone who has struggled with raising multiples. Enjoy!