Every Day Is a Gift

A Memoir

By: Tammy Duckworth

Narrated by: Tammy Duckworth

Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

An instant New York Times best seller!

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 listeners 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 US 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 13 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 US Representative, she won election to the US 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.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Tammy Duckworth (P)2021 Twelve

Critic reviews

"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 best-selling 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)

Inspiring

As a combat arms officer currently serving in the Illinois National Guard, I throughly enjoyed this story. Having joined the ILNG a year prior to her last drill at JFHQ, I never got to chance to drive along side her, but I have had the fortunate luck to meet her several times in person. I’ve always been intrigued by the story that surrounds her, the bits and pieces I’ve heard from other who served during the time she served and whom I serve with now and what I’ve read online. As a first generation Mexican-American, the early parts of her childhood and struggle to fit in for being different really resonated with me. There were so many parts of her story that I related too. Senator Duckworth is an inspiring person who I have no doubt will continue to fight for change.

Amazing

What an incredibly amazing woman Tammy Duckworth is. Her memoir made me cry, when she spoke of her intense body pain after she was shot down, and laugh with her honest and frank discussion of so many phases of her life. Her patriotism is admirable. An excellent story.

I wish they have 10 stars for each category for this book.

It’s a truly inspirational, moving and uplifting story. It should be a mandatory book to read for those who didn’t serve in military yet constantly attacking them.

Powerful story

I was only minimally aware of Sen. Duckworth's story. I was captivated from beginning to end. As a fellow soldier and Blackhawk pilot, I could relate to much of Sen. Duckworth's thoughts on being a soldier and the pride in serving our country. Her ability to articulate how her childhood experiences and her war injuries have led her to where she is are both inspiring and illuminating. I highly recommend this book for anyone

10 Stars Wouldn’t be Enough!

Senator Duckworth and her fellow warriors exemplify the very best this country is blessed to have serving it! I’m a man pushing 80 and f found myself shedding tears for much of this narration just trying to wrap my head around the sheer scale of her injuries and those of other wounded warriors suffered on our behalf. I’m in complete awe of this woman’s courage and humility! We owe it to her and those many others like her to make this country worthy of their sacrifices.

Phenomenal!

Our country would be in a far better place if all our elected leaders had Tammy Duckworth’s courage, drive and empathy.

What a Great Read!

This book tells the story of personal and professional struggles, grit and triumphs, through a journey that’s filled with challenges at almost every opportunity. This book is a must read for anyone that wants to be inspired. Highly recommend this book!

A Gripping, Awe-Inspiring Life Story of an extraordinary American, U.S. Soldier, and Warrior

I’m in awe in the face of so much strength, courage, dedication and sacrifice of a U.S. soldier and a Wounded Warrior. Fascinating, riveting and truly inspirational story of an extraordinary life. So extraordinary, yet, told in a simple, humbling and unpretentious way, Senator Duckworth’s stories resonate with Americans from all walks of life. No matter what our age and background are, every American can relate to Senator Duckworth’s struggles and find inspiration from her survival grits and determination.
Listening to the audiobook was almost like sitting at the kitchen table over a cup of tea with Senator Duckworth telling her stories in person: a truly absorbing and wonderful experience.

This book surprised me. It was a great story, well

Tammy Duckworth's story of mikitary service is so well known that I purchased her book more as a political duty than from any great desire to know her better. What a surprise to find that she is gritty, funny, and absolutely straight forward. This was a great story and she tells it without a hint of self-pity. I am so glad I was able to hear her tell it.

Courageous & Inspirational

This was one of the best memoirs I’ve listened to! Senator Duckworth displayed such courage and vulnerability in sharing her story. I appreciated her raw honesty, outlook, and humor in telling a story that could have been viewed as “tragic”. However, because of her outlook, it turned out to be far from that. Yet, she never sugar coated anything or pretended like it was all easy.
Glad she was the narrator of this incredible book.