Taking My Life Back

'It is impossible to remain unmoved by Gregory's emotional, open memoir of surviving the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013. . . . This is a truly feel-good book that doesn't stint on the challenges that life throws at us.'--Publishers Weekly, starred review

*****

I'm often referred to as a victim of the Boston Marathon bombing.
I refuse to see myself as a victim.
I am a survivor.

This is the story of how I took my life back.


'As a fellow Boston Marathon bombing survivor, I know firsthand that we are not exempt from life's inescapable difficulties. Rebekah Gregory simultaneously demonstrates grace and resilience in the face of an unfair and unimaginable position. The unbridled sharing of her unique story is her gift to the reader.'--Jessica Kensky, Boston Marathon bombing survivor

'Riveting . . . transparent . . . compelling . . . hopeful. Rebekah is not only a survivor. She's an overcomer! And she has the scars on the inside and outside to show for her journey to a new normal. Taking My Life Back is a rollercoaster triumph of faith over depression, defeat, and evil. There is a revelation on each page. God is still in control. While life often offers so many reasons to be bitter . . . God wants us to be better. Read Taking My Life Back and you'll find out why and how.'--Don Piper, New York Times bestselling author of 90 Minutes in Heaven


On April 15, 2013, Rebekah Gregory and her five-year-old son waited at the finish line of the Boston Marathon to support a friend who was running. When the blast of a homemade bomb packed with nails and screws went off three feet away, Rebekah's legs took the brunt of the explosion, protecting her son from certain death. Seventeen surgeries and sixty-five procedures later, she finally made the decision to have her left leg amputated.

This stirring memoir tells the story of her remarkable recovery--including her triumphant return to Boston two years later to run part of the race and her participation in the trial of one of the terrorists--and explores the peace we experience when we learn to trust God with every part of our lives: the good, the bad, and even the terrifying.


Rebekah Gregory is a woman and mother whose life was forever changed due to the bombings at the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013. This act of terrorism may have claimed her leg but it could not claim her spirit. She is now a powerful motivational speaker who encourages people all across the country with her message of faith and hope. She lives in Houston, Texas, with her son, daughter, and husband. For more information, go to www.RebekahMGregory.com.

Anthony Flacco is a New York Times and international bestselling author with six nonfiction books and three novels to his credit. He holds an MFA in screenwriting from the American Film Institute, was selected for the Walt Disney Studios Screenwriting Fellowship, and spent a year writing for Touchstone Pictures. He lives in the Pacific Northwest. For more information, go to www.AnthonyFlacco.com.