Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope (Paperback)

On January 8th 2011 in Tuscon, Arizona a gunman appeared in the small crowd gathered for an open meeting with US congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and fired 32 shots in the space of 15 seconds. Six people died and fourteen were wounded in the attack, including Giffords, who was shot in the head at point blank range. Giffords was taken to the University Medical Centre in Tucson where surgeons performed a decompressive craniectomy, removing a large part of her skull near her left temple, in order to relieve pressure on her brain. Incredibly, Giffords awoke from her induced coma on January 12 and immediately responded in subtle ways to her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, who was busy preparing to pilot the Endeavour on America's penultimate space shuttle voyage to the International Space Station. In this deeply personal memoir, Gabrielle and her husband Mark recount their courtship, Gabrielle's rise in U.S. politics, and the tragic January 8th shooting. They also recount the story of Gabrielle's incredible recovery process and trace Mark Kelly's career from decorated Desert Storm combat pilot to his recent mission as the commander of Space Shuttle Endeavour's final flight. An incredible and inspiring memoir, Gabby delivers hope and redemption in the face of the tragic shooting, and introduces two unforgettable heroes.