As Good As She Imagined: The Redeeming Story of the Angel of Tucson, Christina-Taylor Green
As Good As She Imagined: The Redeeming Story of the Angel of Tucson, Christina-Taylor Green
Christina-Taylor Green was beautiful, precocious, smart and popular, a member of her elementary school’s student council and the only girl on her Little League team. Born on 9/11/2001, it was perhaps no surprise that she harbored aspirations of becoming a politician-thus her presence at the political rally that fateful day in Tucson last January. Congressman Gabrielle Giffords was severely wounded in the gunman’s splay of bullets; six others were killed, including Christina, the youngest of the victims. But this inspirational book recounts far more than the events of ‘the tragedy of Tucson.’ Written by Christina’s mother (with New York Times best-selling biographer Jerry Jenkins), As Good as She Imagined celebrates this little girl’s life,
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This Book is As Good As I Imagined…,
In total honesty, I absolutely dreaded reading this book. I mean, I cried the first time I saw the cover on Facebook along with Jerry’s solicitation for advance copy readers who would be willing to review the book. I cried again when I removed it from the mailing package and touched the cover. A story like this should never have to be told. But we live in the real world, and there are dangers everywhere. I would like to think that the biggest strength we all have is the faith and trust that was demonstrated by Christina-Taylor Green.
Born on September 11, 2001, Christina-Taylor Green was ten years old the day she was shot and killed by Jared Lughner at a political rally in Arizona. Of course, since the main target was Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, it would have been easy to overlook the collateral damage of a nine year old girl standing in the crowd. After all, Christina-Taylor Green was one of six people that were killed, along with 13 wounded. The congresswoman was one of the wounded, and her recovery story is documented each evening on the news.
But leave it to Jerry Jenkins to find a truly heartbreaking story behind the story.
This story takes you through the lives of Christina-Taylor’s parents leading up to her birth, and shows you just how wonderful a girl she was. It then carefully guides you to that fateful day when she was killed.
One aspect of this amazing book is that it tells the story we all already know. There are no surprises here. However, it still shocks your senses as you are reading. I can’t imagine how many people saw me on my American Airlines flight to Virginia this past weekend while I was reading it, but I can assure you that whoever did knew I was reading something highly emotional.
Another interesting part of the book is that it completely avoids the killer; other than to acknowledge that someone did in fact pull the trigger. The killer is not the story here. There is no reason to glorify him or give him any more publicity than he has already received. This story is about Christina-Taylor Green. And that is more than enough to keep me compelled to read.
I’ve read it twice now, and I guarantee you that I will read it again. It is a story that needs to be told. Each and every one of you need to read this book and see for yourself the impact those bullets had on a family, as well as a community. Heck, in this instance, even on the nation itself.
I can’t possibly recommend a book more than I recommend this one. Sure, you are going to cry. Everyone that reads it will. But you will also finish it with a smile on your face, knowing that Christina-Taylor Green’s impact will be felt for years and years to come.
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|Touched by the “Angel of Tucson”,
Christina-Taylor Green, the “Angel of Tucson,” inspires readers through the words of her mother, Roxanna Green, and co-writer, Jerry Jenkins, to live life to its fullest. Her physical life, ended by the shooter who wounded Gabrielle Giffords, continues to touch a world needy for her repertoire of loving and considerate acts.
This book is an unforgetable remembrance of Christina-Taylor. She met life’s chaallenges with enthusiasm, courage and determination. She hoped to see wrongs made right and did not give up on finding loving solutions. I believe that her mother was emboldened to bravely write this account because of the life force within Christina-Taylor that would not relent until her story and dreams for a better world got out to encourage people globally.
This is a book about faith that sustains a family during unimaginable tragedy. Many people have said God is only a crutch for weak people. The person using a crutch still bears the major portion of the weight. A crutch would not be able to hold up under the weight of loss as was the death of Christina-Taylor. God picked up and carried this family and community. He is the One Who brought good from bad for those who have loved and honored Him. He has enabled Christina-Taylor to live on in memories, in inspired actions and in heaven. Serendipitous experiences of both parents, portrayed in the book, make it obvious that Christina-Taylor is happy in heaven.
I am so thankful that I was given an advance reader copy of this book through which I was touched by this little angel with the heart full of hope for a better world. I have written my honest opinion and feelings about this book. I was not influenced by the writers or publisher to give a positive opinion.
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|As Good As She Imagined,
The story of the life and death of Christina-Taylor Green, As Good As She Imagined, is poignant, gripping, and incredibly sad. Her mother, Roxanna Green, with the help of experienced writer, Jerry Jenkins, captured the pathos of January 8, 2011, in Tucson, Arizona, when not only one of our legislators, Gabrielle Giffords, was seriously wounded but six other innocent victims killed. Christina, nine years old, was the youngest.
Born on September 11, 2001, she was destined for greatness. Her heart was as big as her aspirations to make a difference in this world. With great excitement, she went with a family friend to see a congresswoman at a corner meeting on one of our cities’ streets. She did not come home.
Even though it is a difficult subject, I feel it is a must-read, especially for those of us who care what is happening in our country. It is a sad reflection of the untreated needs of those who are severely mentally ill and of the lack of safety on the streets where we live. Hopefully, it will incite many to action – to live full and productive lives, fulfilling our individual destinies as Christina so wanted to do, and to have more awareness, propelling us to action, of very serious, societal problems facing our nation. We honor her by reading this beautiful and well-written memorial of her short life.
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