Every day is a gift A memoir

In the U.S. Senate, Duckworth has a reputation for being both fierce and compassionate with good reason. While serving in the Iraq War as an Army National Guard Reservist, Duckworth lost both legs and severely shattered her right arm when the Black Hawk helicopter she was co-piloting was shot down. Her more empathetic ideals were forged early on when she suffered ostracism as the mixed-race child of a Thai Chinese mother and white American father, and then again during her teen years when her father's chronic unemployment led Duckworth to literally scrounge for loose change in order to put food on the family table. In this knockout autobiography, Duckworth tells her awe-inspiring life story, moving from her peripatetic childhood in Bangkok, Vietnam, Jakarta, and Singapore to her high school and college years in Hawaii, attending graduate school in Washington, DC and Illinois, and serving as a chopper pilot defying gender norms in Iraq. Her intense dedication to public service, fairness, and justice, and her relentless pursuit of personal excellence catapulted her to the House of Representatives, then to the Senate, where she became the first serving senator to give birth. 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.

Senator Duckworth's memoir is a compelling and engrossing narrative that invites readers into her fascinating life. She begins by delving into her family history and her experience growing up as a biracial child in Thailand, and shares memories of the political turmoil she witnessed there. Next, she uncovers the challenges her family faced when they moved to Hawai'i in her teenage years. Much of the book explores Duckworth's military career, dedication to serving her adopted home country, and recovery from the injuries she sustained when her Black Hawk helicopter was shot down in Iraq in 2014. She also engagingly explores her political career, including serving in the Illinois House of Representatives and being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2017. Written with a consistently compassionate and honest voice, this book will appeal to a variety of people. Duckworth writes with the aim of sharing her authentic self, and she succeeds. This is one of the most approachable and inspiring political memoirs to date. VERDICT An 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.--Sarah Schroeder, Univ. of Washington Bothell

Heartfelt memoir from the senator and Iraq War veteran. Duckworth was born in Thailand in 1968, the biracial daughter of an enlisted American-born father and Thai-Chinese mother. As a child, she struggled with feeling "self-conscious about being different." Her family also relocated frequently, which contributed to feelings of uncertainty about her future. In 1984, they moved to Hawaii. Due to her family's financial situation, Duckworth held down numerous jobs while finishing high school. Although her life was stressful, she never gave up and was accepted to the University of Hawaii, where she got a bachelor's degree in political science. "With all the moving around we'd done," she writes, "and seeing up close the work my dad did with United Nations programs, I had developed a fascination with international affairs." After earning her master's degree in international affairs from George Washington University, she joined the Army ROTC and "fell for the Army like no one ever fell for the Army before." Though she began a doctorate program, she interrupted her studies to serve (she later completed her Ph.D.). Defying the odds, she became one of the few female pilots to fly a Black Hawk helicopter. In 2004, while on a mission in Iraq, her "world exploded" when a rocket-propelled grenade hit her helicopter and "detonated in a violent fireball right in my lap." She lost both legs and severely injured her right arm. During her long recovery, she met Sen. Dick Durbin and shared her thoughts about the desperate changes needed for women in the military, veterans, and their families. Durbin encouraged Duckworth to run for Congress. Feeling "a responsibility to be a voice for…young warriors," she became an advocate for veterans and held numerous public offices before becoming a senator in 2016. Despite the scars of discrimination, poverty, and war, her commitment to the service of others has never wavered, and her moving story demonstrates that "healing is always possible, and that the low moments can lead to the greatest heights." An inspiring example of the power of determination. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.