I recently finished reading a book written by a friend of mine. I’ve been hesitant to read it, actually, because I was afraid the subject matter would be too close to home, making the story difficult to finish.
“Frock Off: Living Undisguised“, by Jo Dibblee, is excellent, as I knew it would be (knowing Jo). It is real and raw and good – oh so good – even if it was sometimes a little too familiar! 🙂
The summary of “Frock Off”, From Amazon:
With parents tormented by secrets, guilt, and shame, Jo Dibblee quickly learned to protect herself. Faced with her parents’ alcoholism, drug abuse, and depression, along with the sexual assault and stalking of an “upstanding” foster parent, Jo began, early in life, to use a coping strategy she now calls frocking. With humor and hope, Jo shares the harrowing rollercoaster of her life story and gives the low-down on frocking—how she learned it and used it to survive, how she found it holding her back and what she had to do to, once and for all, Frock Off. Despite harsh truths, brushes with death and agonizing betrayals, Jo’s heart shines through these pages, offering promise, wisdom and inspiration to any reader who has learned to hide and longs to be free.
My Review
“Frock Off: Living Undisguised” is a captivating and powerful read. Though the weight of the story is most definitely felt, Jo tells the tale with ease (an ease that no doubt comes from much wrestling with the story and the issues herself).
Jo’s history is rough, but she never leaves the reader any room to feel sorry for her. As is also true in her life, Jo’s writing in this book keeps moving on, begging the reader to turn the next page, to keep going because there’s MORE to come… and it’s worth it! Identifying her own frocks and disguises throughout, Jo peels back the layers of masks and abuse, laying bare her heart and her journey.
But … There’s no pity party here!
Instead, there are plenty of examples of what can happen when frocks take over your true identity, and even more encouragement to live authentically.
Knowing Jo personally makes the story even more powerful – I’ve seen a tiny bit of her defrocking efforts, and I see what living Frock-Free looks like in her life. She’s the real deal!
“Frock Off: Living Undisguised” has challenged, encouraged, and inspired me. Just the idea of a frock-a-licious life is very inviting, even if, like Jo has shared of her own defrocking, getting there won’t necessarily be easy.
We all wear masks and disguises. Because of that, I believe that anyone can relate to and draw inspiration from Jo’s story.
I recommend this book (and any of Jo’s speaking engagements) for anyone who is ready to embrace a fuller, more genuine life.
Or you might just be curious about how a tiny girl with a silly nickname and severely dysfunctional family can become an internationally-known force of positive change, even in the face of the most daunting of circumstances. That’s a great reason to read this book, too!
Frockalicious living awaits, and Jo is proof that it’s a fantastic way to live.
This is an unsolicited review. I purchased the book from Amazon and a similar review “Fabulously Frock-a-licious” can be found there.
