FROM SILENCE TO STRENGTH: AMY DUGGAR KING EXPOSES LIFE BEHIND REALITY TV’S 19 KIDS AND COUNTING IN HER BOLD DEBUT MEMOIR
HOLY DISRUPTOR, A STORY OF FAITH, FREEDOM, AND FINDING HER VOICE
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (August 7, 2025) – Abuse doesn’t always leave bruises. Sometimes, it hides behind smiles, religious platitudes, and the picture-perfect image of a reality TV family. Amy Duggar King knows this all too well.
Labeled the “Crazy Cousin” on TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting, King was cast as comic relief in a family hiding generations of secrets. But behind the scenes, she was wrestling with trauma, toxic theology, and the generational cycles of abuse that quietly ripple through families.
In her explosive memoir, Holy Disruptor: Shattering the Shiny Facade by Getting Louder with the Truth (Zondervan, October 14, 2025), Amy is telling the truth—all of it. From painful personal experiences to never-before-heard stories inside the Duggar world, Amy reveals for the first time the toxicity she lived through and the faith that helped her survive it. With unfiltered honesty and unshakable courage, she shares how she broke free from dysfunction, reclaimed her voice, and learned to trust God rather than an image others expected her to protect.
“Finding my voice took some time, but I finally discovered it,” says King, “and I am no longer afraid to stand up for what is right. I’m ready to tell the truth about what I have been through, to push myself to my limits, and to force myself to confront parts of myself and my past that I would prefer to leave buried.”
According to the National Children’s Alliance, 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 13 boys in the U.S. experience child abuse. And about 90 percent of children who are sexually abused know and trust their abuser, who is often a relative (CDC). That’s what makes Amy Duggar King’s story all the more relevant. Her cousin, Josh Duggar, may be the one behind bars, but as Amy reveals, he’s not the only abuser in the family. Her memoir makes it painfully clear: the pattern of control, secrecy, and abuse has been woven through generations, affecting not just individuals but an entire legacy. And abuse will multiply unless someone dares to stop it. Holy Disruptor is Amy’s line in the sand.
“For too long, we’ve confused silence with righteousness,” Amy says. “But healing begins when the truth is louder than the lie. I was always told, ‘You are too loud, Amy.’ Well, I haven’t been loud enough. And I’m about to get even louder.”
Detailing her difficult story, Amy shares that experiencing trauma doesn’t mean someone is broken—and being a holy disruptor doesn’t mean rejecting God. Instead, it means standing up against harmful beliefs and practices, even when they’re presented under the guise of virtue..
With raw vulnerability and righteous boldness, Amy shares her journey from spiritual confusion and emotional abuse to healing and wholeness. She opens up about:
- Being silenced, dismissed, and controlled behind closed doors
- Reconciling her love for God with the toxic theology that tried to crush her
- Breaking generational cycles of trauma, shame, and silence
- The truth behind the “family values” brand America thought it knew
Holy Disruptor is King’s raw, treacherous journey to breaking free, reminding readers that they too have the power to not only disrupt generational cycles but to live with passion, purpose, and most importantly, peace.
“This is a story of a little girl born into what would become a very famous family, but who also had deep heartache and trauma of her own that no one outside her house knew much about,” King says. “This is also a story of escaping control, manipulation, and abuse from almost everyone close to me as I fought to find out who I truly was.”
Holy Disruptor: Shattering the Shiny Facade by Getting Louder with the Truth releases October 14, 2025 and is available for pre-order now at holydisruptorbook.com. Follow Amy’s journey on Instagram at @amyrachelleking.
If you or someone you know has experienced abuse:
- Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN’s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
- Contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Amy Duggar King grew up appearing on TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting, but today, she’s using her authentic, God-given voice to encourage others who want to be free of dysfunctional families, toxic situations, or cycles of abuse. She appeared in season one of the documentary Shiny Happy People, and she regularly appears in publications such as Vanity Fair, People, Business Insider, Us Weekly, the Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post. She lives in northwest Arkansas with her husband, Dillon, and her son, Daxton.
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER: Zondervan is a HarperCollins company and part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. Zondervan is a world leading publisher and provider of Christian communications. The company’s products are sold worldwide and translated into nearly 200 languages. Zondervan offices are located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. For additional information, please visit zondervan.com.
