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A Good and Perfect Gift: Faith, Expectations, and a Little Girl Named Penny Paperback – September 1, 2011

by Amy Julia Becker (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 305 ratings
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An Honest, Hopeful Look at Unexpected Challenges

Challenging surprises often lead to unexpected joy. Amy Julia opens eyes and softens hearts as she brings readers into her own story of disappointment turned to blessing. This is a journey of discovering strength through weakness, and the author learns to embrace the face that we are all dependent on God and one another. This books will inspire readers who appreciate beautiful writing coupled with deep insights about life and faith.

"Amy Julia Becker has the courage and grace to tell the truth. Whether you are a parent or not, whether the children in your life are 'typical' or not, this story will shake you, change you, and encourage you."--Andy Crouch, author, Culture Making
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    238 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Bethany House Publishers
  4. Publication date
    September 1, 2011
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.7 x 8.4 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    9780764209178
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0764209178
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Becker (Penelope Ayers: A Memoir), a Princeton University and Princeton Theological Seminary graduate, knows how to grab a reader's heartstrings and never let go as she writes about her journey as a new mom to Penny, her first child, who has Down syndrome. The author keeps a journal in her early days as a mother, a time when her faith, her expectations, and her fears ran a gamut. Becker tells how impressed she has always been with intelligence, and now her little girl will lack this gift so important to Becker. Or would she? This beautifully written text explores how Becker and her husband deal with the news of having a child with a disability and the transformation they undergo as time passes. Each journal entry opens a new chapter of Penny's growth, and with every change in Penny comes a corresponding response of grateful joy in everyone else. Becker's work is introspective and theologically inquisitive, leading readers to ask the same questions this mother asks herself as her world tilted off its axis. --Publishers Weekly

From the Back Cover

Sometimes Joy Shows Up When You Least Expect It

Things don't always go as planned--especially when it comes to our children. When her first baby, Penny, is given a frightening diagnosis, Amy Julia's world comes crashing down. Could she continue to trust God's goodness through what felt like personal tragedy? But challenging surprises often lead to unforeseen joy, and disappointments can turn into blessings. This wise and beautiful book is more than a courageous story of raising a child against the odds--it is a journey through the unexpected ups and downs of life and the discoveries that come along the way.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0764209175
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bethany House Publishers (September 1, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 238 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780764209178
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0764209178
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.4 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 305 ratings

About the author

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Amy Julia Becker

Amy Julia Becker

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Amy Julia Becker is an award-winning writer and speaker on personal, spiritual, and social healing. She is the author of four books, including To Be Made Well: An Invitation to Wholeness, Healing, and Hope, releasing in Spring 2022 (Herald Press). She hosts the Love Is Stronger Than Fear podcast.

A graduate of Princeton University and Princeton Theological Seminary (MDiv), Becker holds a bi-vocational license with the Evangelical Covenant Church. She lives with her husband and their three children in western Connecticut.

Find out more at www.amyjuliabecker.com.

Twitter and Instagram: @amyjuliabecker

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
305 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Beatriz
5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful book
Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2014
Verified Purchase
I met the author briefly at the YAI Annual conference when she read paragraphs from her book. I found her to be a pretty, self assured and serene woman then, and now that I have read her book I see that she is also beautiful on the inside where it really counts. Life gave her the ultimate challenge and she met it magnificently. The fact that she had been previously blessed with a great family, a wonderful husband and all the support in the world also helped her to be the kind of mother she turned out to be. Not everybody is that lucky and all children need a stable home and life to be able to flourish, that is particularly most important in children like Penny where their development is so fragile and compromised from the beginning. That said, she was also extremely lucky and blessed that Penny only showed mild retardation from the beginning. Most children with this disease fall into the moderate category, others severe and others profoundly retarded, so not everybody is going to achieve the level of functioning that Penny has achieved no matter what the parents do. This disease is a lottery like everything else in life and children like Penny are no different from everyone else. Some of us are born more intelligent than others so we can achieve more, others it doesn't matter what they are exposed to or how much we try to drum intellect into them, they won't make the grade because it's not in their genes and it's the same with these children. But the fact remains that every life is precious and valuable and she makes a very good case for not measuring intelligence with a yardstick. With her daughter she prepared herself emotionally and mentally for the fact that Penny might never achieve many things and therein lies the power of her book.
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Kristen
5.0 out of 5 stars An Inspiring Story of Joy
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2011
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I just read an inspiring book called A Good and Perfect Gift. It's written by Amy Julia Becker, mom to Penny, a darling little girl who was born with Down Syndrome.

A Good and Perfect Gift is Amy's honest and heartfelt story of delivering her new baby and learning that everything was not as she and her husband expected. Their newborn daughter had an extra chromosome - Downs Syndrome.

A Good and Perfect Gift openly tells of Amy's tears and joys, heartbreak and disappointments. It tells of how she and her husband came to terms with the fact that yes, their daughter has Downs Syndrome but that extra chromosome does not define her.

This was the most honest book I have read about Downs Syndrome, told from a mother's heart. Not only does it wrestle with the physical ramifications but the spiritual ones as well. If God is the giver of all good gifts, how can their daughter be viewed as any less?

When I read A Good and Perfect Gift, I immediately thought of my dear friend, Grace, who is in the process of adopting a little girl with Downs Syndrome. God has a purpose for everyone. Maybe college isn't in Penny's future or in Samantha's, but rather, perhaps they will be teaching others to truly experience joy.

A Good and Perfect Gift is certainly worth reading, as I believe it will open your eyes and your heart.

Please note that I did receive a free copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
3 people found this helpful
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Brand Neeew
4.0 out of 5 stars Walking In The Path of Suffering
Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2015
Verified Purchase
I was sad when this book ended.

Amy Julia & her husband Peter rush into the hospital for the birth of their first child, Penelope Truesdale, or Penny as everyone calls her. When they hold their daughter for the first time, they didn't know how deeply their world was about to change. Penny is born with Down's Syndrome & as the first child born to a newly married couple, this is as hard as it gets.

The book is an exploration of the emotional, mental, societal and especially spiritual struggle that Peter & Amy Julia wrestle with when their child is born. Written mostly from Amy Julia's perspective, we see how she struggles in initially accepting her daughter, seeing her and her and not just as "my Down's baby". She wrestles with questions of God's will & suffering. We see her wrestle with society as people, well meaning or not, treat Penny differently.

This is a real look at how life can change unexpectedly and also a real look at what it means to be a parent to a mentally disabled child. Amy Julia takes us through her struggle before eventually being free and accepting of her daughter's condition. This is in many ways a book about us & all the tough, unexpected things in life we go through. Excellent memoir that I will return to again.
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Frodee
5.0 out of 5 stars a beautiful story with a lot of heart!!!
Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2015
Verified Purchase
Thank you for this beautifully written story. It taught me a lot about having a child with special needs but as much as it was sad, it was wonderful. As i read the book, i felt your emotions as if i were the one telling the story. it wanted me to experience all that you've gone through. It brought tears to my eye, as well as a loud chuckle too. i felt a plethera of emotions as i read your beautiful story. i could feel your pain as well as your excitement thru all of your experiences and it definitely gave me insight into a world i thought i knew. God bless you and God bless Penny. i love her even though ive never met her.
Sincerely
Pam F
Santa Cruz,
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Billie
5.0 out of 5 stars A Good & Perfect Gift is a MUST READ !
Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2021
Verified Purchase
Extremely well written, very informative, personal story about a baby born with Down Syndrome. One of the most heartwarming stories I've ever read. Highly recommend reading this book !!
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Top reviews from other countries

Blessed Bea
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 20, 2022
Verified Purchase
One l would recommend if you have a child with Down Syndrome or not. It's thought provoking and entertaining at the same time.
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Mandy Ulcar
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on December 22, 2015
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Incredible read for any parent of a child with a disability.
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