I Choose to be Happy

A School Shooting Survivor’s Triumph Over Tragedy

By Missy Jenkins with William Croyle

Publication Date: October 2008 (actual publication price to be determined).

Order now for $16.95 and free shipping.

ISBN: 1-880-292-31-9

"Missy breaks your heart, puts it back together again, and makes you a believer—in forgiveness, faith, and how the strength of one girl can change the world."

—Diane Sawyer, ABC News, Good Morning America

"Through Missy's narrative, you'll learn how this young woman moved from being part of a headline to being an inspiration. Thank you, Missy, for showing us the healing qualities of forgiveness and real grace in the face of adversity."

—Robin Meade, CNN Headline News, Morning Express with Robin Meade

What Reviewers are Saying

Book is a strong reminder that violence isn't the answer

"Jenkins' actions following the shooting have served as a glimpse of hope and a wealth of knowledge about how schools can best protect teachers and students. This book could easily be added to preferred reading lists for all high school students. It's a learning tool, like most books in school. What makes this book ideal for high school students is that Missy writes in the voice of a student. She puts the reader in that hallway that morning, with rare, vivid details about who was standing where and what happened to those who could escape the bullets.

"With her unique experience, students can learn from her story and understand that actions have consequences.

"Middle school students could benefit from this book also. Her message is simple in that it's easy to see the ramifications of bullying, even in the mildest of forms, even when the student getting picked on seems to take it in stride. Her message is also strong, however, in terms of overcoming obstacles and getting help for students if they feel like their only outlet is violence.

"Her book has the capability of showing a student the future should someone decide to resort to violence."

—Susan Riddell, February 2009 issue of Kentucky Teacher

"Her story is inspiring and compelling.... This would be an interesting book to pair up with a unit on conflict resolution or in a discussion of school violence and bullying."

—Tracie Glass, Eugene Public Library, Oregon
School Library Journal, March 1, 2009

About the Book and Author

Missy Jenkins nervously wheeled herself through the iron gates of the Kentucky State Reformatory. Waiting on the other side was Michael Carneal, a cold-blooded killer who put her in her wheelchair 10 years earlier. She was there to confront him face to face. The details of that historic meeting have never been publicly revealed—until now.

"I've always said that there will never be closure for me. But I think that visit was the closest I'll ever come," Missy says in her new book, I Choose to be Happy: A School Shooting Survivor’s Triumph Over Tragedy.

Missy was one of eight students in a prayer group shot by Carneal on December 1, 1997 in the lobby of Heath High School in Paducah, Kentucky. Three girls were killed. Missy, a 15-year-old sophomore at the time, was paralyzed from the chest down.

But Missy didn't see her disability as an end. Just hours after the tragedy, she forgave Carneal and took back her life. In the next decade, with no malice and a focus on her physical and mental rehabilitation, Missy would graduate from Heath, earn a bachelor's degree in social work from Murray State University, become a counselor for troubled youth, get married and give birth to a healthy son.

Missy, now 26, has received numerous honors over the years for her determination and courage, including being one of Ladies' Home Journal's "Most Fascinating Women of 1998," and being honored by former U.S. Attorney Janet Reno as "a leader in encouraging youth involvement in crime prevention."

Through her book, Missy shares the intimate details of her fascinating life since the shooting, along with her opinions on the power of forgiveness, the devastating effects of bullying and Michael’s appeal to have his guilty plea and life sentence thrown out. This appeal is scheduled to be reviewed by the Kentucky Supreme Court in 2009.

Sarah Brady, whose husband, Jim, was wounded in the 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan, has written the foreword to Missy’s book. "This courageous young woman has chosen to share her story in remarkable detail through this poignant book…Missy will take you on her incredible journey of sorrow, pain, joy, and triumph.... Some may read this and simply realize that her plight can put a bad day in perspective. Others may be able to relate to the more complex lessons she offers, such as the importance of forgiving the one who hurt you the most. But one thing is certain: there's a lesson in here for everyone, young and old," Brady says.

Missy and her co-author, William Croyle, will be happy to accommodate you with interview requests. Please contact Mr. Croyle directly at 859-620-6916 or email him at williamcroyle@yahoo.com.

Order online or 1-800-864-1648 or send your name, address, phone number, and check for $16.95 or credit card number to LangMarc Publishing, P.O. 90488, Austin, TX 78709. I Choose to be Happy will be mailed to you.