Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope

Written by Gabrielle Giffords and Mark Kelly

Narrated by Mark Kelly

Gabrielle Giffords's documentary Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down is now in theaters nationwide!

The New York Times bestseller by Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, astronaut and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly—an incredibly inspiring story of adventure, public service, love, and overcoming tragedy.

The shooting of Gabby Giffords and nineteen others, six of whom were killed, took place in Tuscon, Arizona on January 8, 2011, in the early days of what has become a tragic and devastating escalation of mass shootings across the United States.

Gabby had just begun her third term serving in the Arizona House of Representatives and was meeting with her constituents when she was shot in the head. She was evacuated to the hospital in critical condition. Her husband, Mark Kelly, a retired U.S. Navy captain and an astronaut for NASA at the time, flew directly from Houston and dedicated himself to Gabby’s bedside as she fought to survive and recover.

This book chronicles the lives of these two extraordinary American figures—the careers that led them to one another; their passion for public service; and the grueling medical challenges and hard-fought journey to Gabby’s significant recovery. In 2013, Gabby and Mark launched Americans for Responsible Solutions, a non-profit and Super-Pac which would later become Giffords, an American advocacy and research organization focused on promoting gun control. That same year, Gabby received the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award in recognition of the political, personal, and physical courage she demonstrated in her public advocacy for policy reforms aimed at reducing gun violence.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Nov 15, 2011
• ISBN: 9781442348639

Gabrielle Giffords

Gabrielle Giffords represented Arizona’s 8th Congressional District in the US House of Representatives from 2007 until 2012. A graduate of Scripps College, she has a master’s degree from Cornell University. She was a Fulbright Scholar in Mexico and a fellow at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Joe Biden in 2022. 

Reviews for Gabby

[sar96-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Inspiring, well-written memoir

[schatzi_5 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'd heard of Gabrielle Giffords before the tragedy in Tucson, mainly because she was one of the representatives marked by targets that looked an awfully lot like gun sights on Sarah Palin's site (which is discussed, briefly, in this book). But, other than that, I didn't know much about her, which is too bad, because she seems like she was an awesome and motivated Representative. This memoir details the shooting and the aftermath, of course, but also Mark and Gabby's life together - their courtship, marriage, and the strain of their busy careers on their relationship. They are also not shy about discussing Gabby's desire to have a child of her own (Mark has two daughters from a previous relationship), which, unfortunately, will likely never happen now. I found this memoir to be incredibly heartwarming and inspiring. Gabby just didn't give up, even though no one would have blamed her if she had been depressed about what happened. Her resolve is amazing, and Mark's obvious love and care for her is just as amazing. I wish them both the best, and I hope that Gabby can return to public service at some point in the future.

[librarianbea · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I had heard of Gabrielle Giffords before the shooting in Tucson. She is just the kind of person we need in office, and I was saddened to hear of the shooting and the devastation caused by one person.This was a moving memoir that captured my attention early on and held it throughout. The touching love story between Gabrielle and Mark, and the resolve, strength and courage with which they handled the aftermath of the shooting resonated with me deeply for days after reading the book. This was my first introduction to the life of a Member of Congress, and I am glad I was able to learn more about Gabrielle Giffords, her fierce dedication to the people, to Tucson, and to America. I hope we have not heard the last of the Giffords - Kelly family.

[bdouglas97 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love this - especially since I listened to it on CD. I loved the ending when Gabby was recorded. I also loved learning more about the intracacies of the NASA space program. (ie the personal side)