I Wasn't Born Bulletproof: Lessons I've Learned

by Maci Bookout

Maci Bookout, the reality television megastar of Teen Mom and the New York Times bestselling author of Bulletproof, offers down-to-earth, practical advice on how to navigate life, love, and everything in between. 

Since catapulting to reality TV stardom on the hit MTV series Teen Mom and 16 and Pregnant, Maci Bookout has become a mother of three, a successful businesswoman, and a sought-after motivational speaker—all by the tender age of 25. 

As she traveled across the country, speaking to young people and sharing her inspiring story, the one comment Maci kept hearing over and over was, “You’re so strong. You make it all look so easy.” But Maci was not born “bulletproof.” She taught herself to be strong despite her struggles and to turn adversity into advantages.

In I Wasn’t Born Bulletproof, bestselling author Maci shares with readers the truth behind her Teflon exterior and offers fun, inspirational advice for everyone.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Celebrity, Audiobook

160 pages, Hardcover

First published June 27, 2017

Reviews

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about the struggles of a reality star from 16 and pregnant and Teen Mom. It goes through the struggles of when she found out she was pregnant (all three times), the heart breaks she had through those times, as well as the unforgettable memories she has made with her family throughout the years. She covers the importance of loving yourself, of family, and of education. Throughout the book you can tell she has a knack for writing.
In my opinion Maci is one of my favorite moms on the show. I learned new things about her as well that she doesnt usually let out on tv like the fact that almost her while back is covered in tattoos. Overall if you are a fan of this show I highly recommend this book.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Her first book was way better. While Maci is the least trainwreck-esque of the Teen Mom cast, and I like her writing style, she doesn't have any real wisdom to offer anyone....but hey, she tries in this book. The book is very much what you'd expect to read if she had a blog for her fans. I did find it rich that she has a chapter about making and managing money. I get that she has a regular job, but having recently read that she majes over 400k a year on her show, I don't want to read about financial musings from someone who has literally made a forti9 because she got pregnant at 16 and let MTV film it. 1.5 stars, rounded up.

[Kristen Luppino · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little cliche

A little cliche but fun to read because it is Maci! #guiltypleasuretv I learned a couple things about pregnancy I coulda waited to know lol

[Jenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This started out fine until we got to the mom/pregnancy chapters. No offense but let's be honest I don't think any expecting parent is going to come to this book/author for baby advice so in my opinion those chapters were unnecessary and also alienated some readers who aren't parents. Otherwise it was a fine little read. Though I can't recommend spending money buying it.

[KaylaDawn Walsh-MacDonald (booksofkay4) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this so much 🥰

[Kayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Maci, she's been one of my favorite teen moms since the beginning. But this book wasn't quite what I was expecting. It's not bad at all, just different. 😊

[Lyssa · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

I'll be honest, this book felt like a money grab. It's short (about 130 pages) and half of it is little stats and unnecessary definitions, etc. The rest reads like filler fluff. There's no new information in here and I think she's playing fast and loose with the term "lessons," unless you think advice like, friends are valuable and carry a journal for self expression, are worthy of publication.

I have a lot of respect for Maci and always related to her experience (as shown) as a former teen mom myself. Therefore, I found some of her thoughts about isolation, loneliness, etc. relatable, but that's about the best I can say regarding the content.

She talks about how her tattoos are deeply personal and she's always been private about them and then goes on to write pages about each tattoo and its meaning. While I'm not crazy about most tattoos, hers seem to be the most openly self-absorbed collection I've encountered (ie I wanted to represent my family... so each of them is a cupcake in place of an O in our name bOOkOut because I was obsessed with baking growing up. Yes, that seems specific and personal... to you).

Her story about rebelling against her coach in cheerleading by refusing to remove her black nail polish was particularly cringey. Typical attitude for a middle schooler, but I'm sad that as an adult, she hasn't realized that TEAM sports aren't about the individual and that she wasn't being asked to compromise her identity or her values. As her coach, seeing her willing to be benched and distract / throw off the rest of the team because of her selfishness over something like nail polish would have done it for me. Don't need that kind of energy.

Long story short, Bulletproof was a great book and actually full of wisdom, largely from her mother if I remember correctly. Get this "sequel" from the library if you must, but better off skipping altogether.

[Carolyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I give it two stars because it was really just a bunch of advice. FAR too many errors for a book written by someone who regularly mentions she loves to write and is a professionally published book. Learning more about her tattoos was neat. She's still the best Teen Mom and I'll always watch. 🙂

[Carly Foster · Rating 2 out of 5]

I honestly was expecting a lot more from this book. Many errors, not very relatable, and the whole thing felt very preachy. Really more of a let down.

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This felt like a highschool report that you left until the last minute to write so you inserted as may refrences, footnotes and quotes as you could to increase to the minimum word count. I was surprised when she refrenced a passion for writing and even had tattoos dedicated to that passion because there were very few words in this book and a large majority of them werent original thoughts written by her. I also found mixed messaging about lets not judge and be compassionate to each other online and talks about personal experience of people being cruel online but then in the next breath let me tell you about all the things I judge people for posting online. The format did not do her any favours and I felt came across very preachy with just a big giant list of "do's and don'ts" with not enough personal experiences or her lessons learned that made it feel genuine.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just couldn't resist picking this up when I saw it at the library.

Honestly, this wasn't that bad. I didn't enjoy her first book, but this one was a lot better. (The amount of typos did drive me insane, however). Maci opened up about a lot, and she comes across very down-to-earth and likable. I may not agree with all her choices (and I definitely think she and her husband have a drinking problem) but she's definitely my favorite out of all the Teen Mom girls. Truthfully, though, I guess that's not saying much.

On a side note, I think Maci is gorgeous but that cover picture is not at all flattering of her.

[Makayla Burks · Rating 2 out of 5]

I always liked Maci from growing up watching 16 and Pregnant and I really wanted to read this book to get to know her more. However, I was disappointed. It seemed like she still held back and I didn’t get the vibe that she really opened up. Half way through this book I was thinking to myself why did she even write this? Honestly, a lot of the lines in this book I felt like I read or heard before from elsewhere. It didn’t seem like majority of the ideas were even her own which is disappointing because I always thought she was incredibly unique and independent. Also, a lot of errors like their being two chapter two’s??? I did enjoy the end when she talks more about her family and why family means so much to her. Overall, I don’t think I will read this again.

[Ashlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Maci's first book and absolutely loved it!! Again, with the mom's from Teen Mom you only get to see what they show on TV and some of it is edited to look more drama filled or segments edited together! With this book, I enjoyed the way it was written!! Her other book is more on her life, this one is on lessons she learned through her life and through becoming a mom at 16! I actually found myself relating to quite a bit of things!

[Michaeline Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I didn't love this book quite as much as Maci's debut, it was still very well written and interesting to listen to. Since I've always found Maci to be the type of person I'd want to be more like, hearing the lessons she has learned throughout her life that help her be the strong and confident woman she is was awesome. It was a super quick listen on audiobook, so it's definitely worth a listen.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a lay person turned author, Maci holds her own in this semi-memoir, semi-advice publication.
Of interest to me because I am a fan of Maci and the MTV show 'Teen Mom'- in which she is a part-- I found her book intelligent, articulate, and often genuinely humorous. Overall, I enjoyed this quick and easy read.

[Hailie Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book it gave great advice and I enjoyed reading her thought and opinions on certain topics. However I was missing chapter 3 but had 2 chapter 2’s, also it is a book I would only read once and would never pick it up to read it again which is one of the two reasons I have it 4 out of 5 stars.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

FS: "The first time I stood up in front of a crowd of people I didn’t know and spoke about my life was when I was just seventeen years old."

LS: "Being bulletproof isn’t just about deflecting hate, it’s about being strong enough to allow yourself to feel; to be vulnerable enough to let love in."

Location: Tennessee

Chapters: 12

Kindle

[Dev Ainslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt like this read dragged on for me, I didn't care for all the statistic's that were cited, or quotes from other people, but they are very fitting for the book given Maci's education in journalism and passion for literature. It was good but it was mostly just general topics and I was hoping for more of her life and endeavours in the book.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a short read with some useful information I would've never thought to look up and lots of quotes. I've been a Maci fan since 16 & Pregnant and Teen Mom OG but I don't it was worth $7.99 for a book with a little over 100 pages IMO.

[Andrea Childers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book and an even better audiobook. I love Maci and even though I didn't learn anything new about her in this memoir, it was enjoyable. I liked hearing more about her family life and I enjoyed the quotes from popular icons.

[Ann Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this overall. I've been watching Teen Mom on and off for years, and it was nice to hear Maci talk about her own experiences and life lessons she has learned. I enjoyed the personal development aspect of the book as well.

[catherine wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

A page turner

I have only recently started watching teen mom, but through the screen I felt something was so special about Maci, so decided to get her book to read, even though this isn't a full autobiography then are plenty of snippets she's shares about her life thoughout.

[Ariel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Maci. She’s always been a favorite of mine since she was on 16 & Pregnant. Now as she’s much older, I’ve really enjoyed watching her progress and mature. As expected, I enjoyed reading her book too. She explained her life growing up and how she got where she is today.

[Vanessa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love Maci and rated her first book 5 stars but she should have stopped there. This read like I know it all so you should sit here for a few hours and listen to me tell you what to do and what not to do. And this is coming from a huge fan. First time she's ever disappointed me.

[tiffany goins · Rating 5 out of 5]

👍

Was a real ass book. She says it like it is 👍👏
The writing and reading part did inspire me. I read it in like 2 hours.
Mad respect.

[Lou · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

fast read had a lot of quotes and overall knowledge. Talked about her life in general did a section on statistics for that section then moved on. Interesting read.

[Jessie C · Rating 2 out of 5]

gave it a low review because it's so similar to her first book...everything I had already read before. However I do like that it's set up as not just a memoir but a self help book.

[jennifer Wolfgram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book!!

I leaned a lot from this book!! I couldn't put it down, that's why I got done reading it in a day!! She's an amazing woman!

[Cassie Tufts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a cute l8ttle book crammed full of great advice and great little tidbits about Maci and her life, and family! so loved it!