Undaunted
Subtitle: Surviving Jonestown, Summoning Courage, and Fighting Back
By: Jackie Speier
Publisher: Little A
Published: 2018
Place of publication: New York, USA
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 198
ISBN-13: 9781503903609; 9781503903593
Copyright date: 2018
Subjects: Jonestown Mass Suicide, Jonestown, Guyana, 1978; Women legislators; United States; Personal narratives; United States. Congress. House; Biography
First sentence: I was dying. It was just a matter of time. Lying behind a wheel of the airplane, bleeding out the right side of my devastated body, I waited for the rapid shooting to stop, then said my Act of Contrition, praying by rote for forgiveness.
Description: "Jackie Speier was twenty-eight when she joined Congressman Leo Ryan’s delegation to rescue defectors from cult leader Jim Jones’s Peoples Temple in Jonestown, Guyana. Ryan was killed on the airstrip tarmac. Jackie was shot five times at point-blank range. While recovering from what would become one of the most harrowing tragedies in recent history, Jackie had to choose: Would she become a victim or a fighter? The choice to survive against unfathomable odds empowered her with a resolve to become a vocal proponent for human rights. From the formative nightmare that radically molded her perspective and instincts to the devastating personal and professional challenges that would follow, Undaunted reveals the perseverance of a determined force in American politics. Deeply rooted in Jackie’s experiences as a widow, a mother, a congresswoman, and a fighter, hers is a story of true resilience, one that will inspire other women to draw strength from adversity in order to do what is right—no matter the challenges ahead"--
Notes: Includes index.
Table of contents: title: Prologue
pagenum: vii; title: The early Years
pagenum: 1; title: Becoming Jackie
pagenum: 19; title: Ryan Girl
pagenum: 35; title: Guyana
pagenum: 53; title: Recovery and Renewal
pagenum: 75; title: Love and Politics
pagenum: 97; title: Endings and Beginnings
pagenum: 119; title: When One Door Closes
pagenum: 137; title: Capitol Hill
pagenum: 153; title: Shattering Silence
pagenum: 169; title: Acknowledgements
pagenum: 179; title: Index
pagenum: 183; title: About the Author
pagenum: 199