Favorite Thing #45 - In an Instant

I read this In an Instant last year on my honeymoon and the reason I picked it up was because I was very intrigued by Bob Woodruff's story. For those of you that aren't familiar with it, Bob Woodruff was co-anchor of ABC's World News Tonight and was covering a story in Iraq. While he was ridding in a military tank, an improvised explosive device (IED) went off and he and his cameraman were hit. As a result of this accident Bob suffered a traumatic brain injury.

This book "is the frank and compelling account of how Bob and Lee Woodruff’s lives came together, were blown apart, and then were miraculously put together again–and how they persevered, with grit but also with humor, through intense trauma and fear. More than a dual memoir of love and courage, In an Instant is an important, wise, and inspiring guide to coping with tragedy–and an extraordinary drama of marriage, family, war, and nation." As much as this story is about Bob's injury its told in the perspective of his wife. It gives real insight into the struggles of marriage and how two people in love can conquer anything.

Here is an editorial review from Amazon:

There's a reason Lee Woodruff's name comes first in this collaboration. While this celebrity memoir revolves around the war injuries suffered by ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff, it's really his wife's story. Drawn from the journals she kept during his recovery and also delving deeply into the history of the couple's courtship and family life, this gritty memoir is well served by Lee's capable and compelling speaking voice. Woodruff's vocal control is strong, even mesmerizing, and she peppers the grave reminiscences with funny stories and witty observations. Her voice sometimes breaks with emotion, whether describing her fears after learning of her husband's condition or earlier heartaches when coping with a miscarriage or learning of the profound hearing loss of one of their twin daughters. Bob intervenes occasionally to describe his family, various career ups and downs, and what he remembers about the incident that rendered him a casualty of war. Listeners may wish to have a tissue or two on hand while they listen to this beautiful story of marriage for better and for worse.