dougsasser's review against another edition
3.0
This is a book I won through Goodreads.com. Mark Kelly narrates most of this book. He gives a lot of background on how he and his wife met and their courtship leading up to marriage. There are also considerable details about her recovery. The shooting itself and the gunman are covered in brief details. He does designate a paragraph to each person who was killed on that day in one of the chapters.
Kelly does not blame angry rhetoric for causing the shooting. He is also surprisingly sympathetic to the mentally ill man who perpetrated the crime. However he is critical of angry rhetoric from politicians. This story is one of courage and hope as the subtitle suggests.
Kelly does not blame angry rhetoric for causing the shooting. He is also surprisingly sympathetic to the mentally ill man who perpetrated the crime. However he is critical of angry rhetoric from politicians. This story is one of courage and hope as the subtitle suggests.
billie_budd's review against another edition
3.0
The story of Giffords's life and recovery are amazing and inspiring, of course, but this book was more about Mark Kelly and about Giffords's relationship with Kelly than about her and her recovery--which wasn't what I had hoped or anticipated the book to be.
Mark Kelly should've cut most of the material about his own life and accomplishments, pasted it into a separate Word document, and used it later for his own memoir. It's memoir material, but not for this memoir.
Mark Kelly should've cut most of the material about his own life and accomplishments, pasted it into a separate Word document, and used it later for his own memoir. It's memoir material, but not for this memoir.
biblio_mom's review against another edition
3.0
i cant remembered why and how i picked up this book in the first place, because i hate politics. maybe i pick this up out of curiousity or because i love to read other people's stories and histories? im kinda drawned to these memoirs stuff.
this is about Gabby, a congresswoman who has been shot in the head (left brain to be precise) in an event that she had hosted. she alongside few other unfortunate victims was shot by a madman. some died and some survived. so this memoir is basically about how the shooting happened, her journey of recovering and i think half of it is of her husband Mark's, story which is mostly of his job at NASA as an astronaut and also being a huge part in her recovery.
its horrifying and terifying event. Gabby is indeed is a strong woman because she did survived the whole thing. what i have learnt from this memoir is never ever lose hope and faith. when you set your mind to it and work for it, things will turn out fine. even if its not as expected, still, the efforts count.
this is about Gabby, a congresswoman who has been shot in the head (left brain to be precise) in an event that she had hosted. she alongside few other unfortunate victims was shot by a madman. some died and some survived. so this memoir is basically about how the shooting happened, her journey of recovering and i think half of it is of her husband Mark's, story which is mostly of his job at NASA as an astronaut and also being a huge part in her recovery.
its horrifying and terifying event. Gabby is indeed is a strong woman because she did survived the whole thing. what i have learnt from this memoir is never ever lose hope and faith. when you set your mind to it and work for it, things will turn out fine. even if its not as expected, still, the efforts count.
sheamaryfitz's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely LOVED this book. I followed the news of Gabby's shooting and recovery somewhat, but after seeing her interview on 20/20, I was interested to read her story. I am so glad I read this book and got to learn more about her as a Congresswoman and as a woman. She is truly inspirational and her courage and strength go behond anything you could imagine. She seems like a genuinely good person who really cares for her constituents and for democracy in American. When you look at all the people who visited her after the shooting, or even the people who were injured with her, and you see how she drew Republicans and Democrats alike, I think that speaks very highly of the person she was and is.
I thought it was really interesting how the book not only talked about the shooting and the aftermath, but also what came before: Gabby meeting Mark, how she became the woman she became and what she did before becoming a Congresswoman. I also found it really interesting how she felt about certain topics (the death penalty, mental health issues, gun laws) that would come directly into play in her own life later on.
Some of the stories in here were really great, and I was glad Mark didn't hold back with more personal stories. I really liked when Obama came to visit Gabby (I have to say, the book makes him out to be a pretty good dude), and I even had kinder things to say after George H.W. Bush visited her in Texas. And, I think the best anecdote might be when Bono (Gabby's crush) contacts Mark to help him with the "Beautiful Day" video for their concert tour.
I really liked the quote from one of her doctors on page 191 after a few friends came to visit her and she responded to her husband Mark for the first time (four days after she was shot, she was able to give the "thumbs up" sign). He said, "We are wise to acknowledge miracles." I think anyone who reads this story will know that what has happened in the days since January 8, 2011 truly constitutes as a miracle and I wish Gabby nothing but the best in the future (I kind of want her to run for President or something so I could vote for her myself!).
Through this book I've come to realize that Zaslow only lends his name to stories and projects that are truly inspiring and great, and I have really enjoyed everything he's done so far. Great job again!
I thought it was really interesting how the book not only talked about the shooting and the aftermath, but also what came before: Gabby meeting Mark, how she became the woman she became and what she did before becoming a Congresswoman. I also found it really interesting how she felt about certain topics (the death penalty, mental health issues, gun laws) that would come directly into play in her own life later on.
Some of the stories in here were really great, and I was glad Mark didn't hold back with more personal stories. I really liked when Obama came to visit Gabby (I have to say, the book makes him out to be a pretty good dude), and I even had kinder things to say after George H.W. Bush visited her in Texas. And, I think the best anecdote might be when Bono (Gabby's crush) contacts Mark to help him with the "Beautiful Day" video for their concert tour.
I really liked the quote from one of her doctors on page 191 after a few friends came to visit her and she responded to her husband Mark for the first time (four days after she was shot, she was able to give the "thumbs up" sign). He said, "We are wise to acknowledge miracles." I think anyone who reads this story will know that what has happened in the days since January 8, 2011 truly constitutes as a miracle and I wish Gabby nothing but the best in the future (I kind of want her to run for President or something so I could vote for her myself!).
Through this book I've come to realize that Zaslow only lends his name to stories and projects that are truly inspiring and great, and I have really enjoyed everything he's done so far. Great job again!
aml519's review against another edition
5.0
I'm so glad I picked up this audiobook on a whim. I enjoyed hearing about Gabby's recovery, as well as how her husband handled life as an astronaut after her injury. The best part of the audibook was listening to her read the last chapter. Amazing.
radioactiv's review against another edition
4.0
I just realized I never wrote a review for this, despite receiving it in a first-reads giveaway.
I really enjoyed this book about Gabrielle Giffords, the Congresswoman who was shot at a "Congress on Your Corner" event in Tuscon, AZ. The book covers her life story, including her relationship with her astronaut husband, Mark, who is one of the authors. Her recovery is slow-going but promising, given the extent of her brain injury, and is very inspiring.
I really enjoyed this book about Gabrielle Giffords, the Congresswoman who was shot at a "Congress on Your Corner" event in Tuscon, AZ. The book covers her life story, including her relationship with her astronaut husband, Mark, who is one of the authors. Her recovery is slow-going but promising, given the extent of her brain injury, and is very inspiring.
krissy514's review against another edition
5.0
5 stars for sure ... I just love this story. Love, tragedy, hope, success, triumph. Rarely am I hooked in the first few pages of a book but I was with this one. I had tears in my eyes within the first 5 pages and they didn't stop there. READ IT!
nhershey1's review against another edition
Didn't love it. Seemed like it was written by her husband. She seems like a tenacious, feisty woman. Would have liked more about her work in congress, like Warren's and Gillibrand's books.
Loved the bit about what Mark engraved on her wedding band. I thought that shit only happened in novels.
Loved the bit about what Mark engraved on her wedding band. I thought that shit only happened in novels.