Perfect Strangers

January 2, 2017
It takes a remarkable person to convince you they have gained more than they lost after having a leg blown off in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. But that’s exactly what Sdoia does in her frank, personal account of that horrific day. Describing herself as stubborn and determined even as a kid, she conveys that strength in relating how she survived after realizing she would lose her right leg and might bleed to death. In a spare but emotional register, Sdoia describes how three people rescued her. College student Shores Salter ran into the chaos and held the tourniquet tight enough that she didn’t bleed out. No-nonsense cop Shana Cottone commandeered a police van to get her to the hospital. Mike Materia, a big, stoic Boston firefighter and Iraq War veteran, got her off the street and into the van. The book movingly describes how the four of them, bonding over the rescue and Sdoia’s difficult recovery, became as close as family. Sdoia is unsparing in describing her own weaknesses as well as her strength, but this candor only makes her story all the more inspiring. Agent: Katherine Flynn, Kneerim and Williams.

February 1, 2017
A survivor of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing attacks reflects on the trio of fearless individuals who saved her life and rescued countless others.Sdoia passionately recalls the events leading up to and immediately following the terrorist attack, a day that "went from being pure celebration to desperate survival." She shares her history as a family girl drawn away to California for several years but always returning home to Massachusetts to friends and family, and she describes herself as having a "complicated relationship with running." Yet standing on the sidelines of the Boston Marathon that day, the seasoned 5K runner became so energized and rejuvenated by the runners' excitement and sheer determination, she promised herself to enter the race the following year. After her right foot was blown off by one of two pressure-cooker bombs planted near the finish line, she was immediately tended to by Northeastern University student Shores Salter, Boston police officer Shana Cottone, and a nearby physician, all who assisted in tying a makeshift tourniquet around her mutilated leg. She was raced to the hospital by firefighter Mike Materia, who stayed with her throughout the entire ordeal and beyond. With her leg medically amputated just above the knee, the author's agonizing physical and psychological recovery began. She also established a significant connection with Materia, who stayed in constant contact as she was rehabilitated back to health, and they became swept into an enduring romantic relationship. Each of the three who participated in Sdoia's valiant rescue is fondly profiled, showing his or her personality as an honest, hardworking, and unexpectedly heroic Bostonian. The author considers all three as "family," and her book spins the events of that tragic afternoon into a tapestry of solidarity, unity, love, and selfless humanity. Aside from instances of repetitiveness, the book is heartfelt and honest. Though the bombers "took away that day," she writes, "we're taking it back." A moving testimonial to the transformative power of human compassion and connection amid catastrophe.

COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

February 15, 2017
The 2013 Boston Marathon's terrorist bombings reverberate still. Four peoplestrangers thrown together by the 118th Marathon bombs that killed three and injured 264formed strong bonds and now consider themselves family. Marathon runner Sdoia, who lost a leg in the attack, with award-winning Jordan (Last Man on the Mountain, 2010), shares not only her own story but the group's. College student Shores Shelter ran into the mayhem and saved Sdoia with an improvised tourniquet; BPD's Shana Cottone got her into a paddy wagon for transport to Mass General, riding up front; and BFD's Mike Materia, who loved working race day and was experienced from his service in Iraq, rode in back with Sdoia, providing comfort, eventually establishing a GoFundMe social-media page for her medical expenses and helping locate Shores. Sdoia and other marathon casualties were the Spaulding Rehab Center's first patients, and their visitor list became something of a legend. Sdoia expresses her understanding of how trauma shapes people differently and how their connection, strengthened by loss, has provided a key constant and comfort in four lives.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)