Every Day Is a Gift, Tammy Duckworth
Every Day Is a Gift, Tammy Duckworth
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Every Day Is a Gift
A Memoir

Bestseller

Author: Tammy Duckworth

Narrator: Tammy Duckworth

Unabridged: 8 hr 36 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Twelve

Published: 03/30/2021

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

In this New York Times bestselling book, learn the incredible story of Illinois senator and Iraq War veteran Tammy Duckworth and see what inspired her to follow the path that made her who she is today.​

In Every Day Is a Gift, Tammy Duckworth takes readers through the amazing—and amazingly true—stories from her incomparable life. In November of 2004, an Iraqi RPG blew through the cockpit of Tammy Duckworth's U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter. The explosion, which destroyed her legs and mangled her right arm, was a turning point in her life. But as Duckworth shows in Every Day Is a Gift, that moment was just one in a lifetime of extraordinary turns.

The biracial daughter of an American father and a Thai-Chinese mother, Duckworth faced discrimination, poverty, and the horrors of war—all before the age of 16. As a child, she dodged bullets as her family fled war-torn Phnom Penh. As a teenager, she sold roses by the side of the road to save her family from hunger and homelessness in Hawaii. Through these experiences, she developed a fierce resilience that would prove invaluable in the years to come.

Duckworth joined the Army, becoming one of a handful of female helicopter pilots at the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom. She served eight months in Iraq before an insurgent's RPG shot down her helicopter, an attack that took her legs—and nearly took her life. She then spent thirteen months recovering at Walter Reed, learning to walk again on prosthetic legs and planning her return to the cockpit. But Duckworth found a new mission after meeting her state's senators, Barack Obama and Dick Durbin. After winning two terms as a U.S. Representative, she won election to the U.S. Senate in 2016. And she and her husband Bryan fulfilled another dream when she gave birth to two daughters, becoming the first sitting senator to give birth.

From childhood to motherhood and beyond, Every Day Is a Gift is the remarkable story of one of America's most dedicated public servants.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jean on July 15, 2021

I found this to be a moving memoir. Duckworth tells of surviving discrimination, poverty and war. The book is well written and easy to read. Duckworth tells of her love of the Army and identity as a soldier and helicopter pilot. Her struggle with a loss of identity when she could no longer fly after......more

Goodreads review by Danielle on February 22, 2021

I tore through this book in two sittings. I was expecting Duckworth's memoir to emphasize her political career, but I could not have been more mistaken: all but a few of the chapters revolve around her childhood as a poor immigrant and her military service, all of which serve to provide context for......more

"In shock and acting on pure instinct, I tried to fly the helicopter. Unaware that my legs were gone, and focused on finding a landing spot, I struggled to press the pedals. At the same time, I tried to pull on the cyclic stick between my legs, which controls the rotor and almost certainly had stopp......more

Goodreads review by Sharon on November 07, 2022

Wow! Senator Tammy Duckworth is an incredible person filled with grit, determination, stamina, and an off-the-chart work ethic. She was born to an American father and a Thai mother and lived in many places including Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Cambodia. Tammy and her family were one of the las......more

Goodreads review by Shannon on May 03, 2021

4.5 - An incredibly inspiring memoir from one amazing woman, soldier, senator and mother. Admittedly I didn’t know much about Tammy Duckworth other than what I saw in the headlines about her being the first sitting Senator to breastfeed on the floor. Her story is so much more than that. Born to a wh......more


Quotes

"Raw, unfiltered, powerful, a compelling story of courage and determination against overwhelming odds. Tammy Duckworth is a true warrior who overcame a difficult upbringing, a glass ceiling, and a horrific helicopter shootdown to become one of the most respected senators on Capitol Hill. Nothing can stop her."—Adm. William H. McRaven (US Navy, Ret.), New York Times bestselling author of MAKE YOUR BED

"EVERY DAY IS A GIFT isn’t your usual political memoir, but it is a quintessentially American story. Tammy Duckworth’s life journey—from a difficult, peripatetic childhood in Southeast Asia though serving in the U.S. Army, House, and now the Senate—is a story of amazing grit and determination, colored throughout by a love of this country and what it stands for."—Mitt Romney

“'Soldier, Senator, Mother'—Tammy Duckworth is all these and more. She’s a woman who overcame childhood poverty, learned to fly, fought for our country—and then created a whole new life for herself when her old one was shattered by enemy fire. The word I would use for Tammy is 'inspiration,' which is what I felt upon reading this remarkable memoir."—Amy Klobuchar

“Tammy Duckworth’s inspiring life story reads like a novel, defined by moments of exceptional grace and resilience. As a fellow veteran, I was moved by the gripping account of her service in uniform, including the shoot-down that nearly took her life, the dramatic rescue and her harrowing 13-month recovery. She is an extraordinary leader and an exemplary American, and this book reminds us why.”—Pete Buttigieg

“Senator Duckworth’s memoir is a compelling and engrossing narrative that invites readers into her fascinating life… Excellent work that will allow readers to get to know one of today’s most unique political voices. Readers from a wide range of backgrounds will find something to relate to in Duckworth’s story.”—Library Journal (starred review)

“With a breezy candor that is, by turns, intimate and assertive, Duckworth offers an affecting account of a life of sacrifice, patriotism, valor, integrity, and grace.”—Booklist (starred review)

“Heartfelt memoir from the senator and Iraq War veteran. Despite the scars of discrimination, poverty, and war, [Duckworth’s] commitment to the service of others has never wavered… An inspiring example of the power of determination.”—Kirkus