From a terrible accident that left her paraplegic, Emma Carey has become an inspiration for hundreds of thousands online to live life to the fullest and remind us that if we can, we must.
There on that helicopter, somewhere over Switzerland on a Sunday in June, came the first tiny whisper. A voice that that would carry me for years to come. ‘I'm going to be okay. There's still joy here.’
When Emma Carey was twenty, she fell from 14,000 feet and survived. In The Girl Who Fell From the Sky, Emma tells us the inspirational story of how, through what could be considered one of her greatest tragedies, she found her truest self.
From waking in hospital to the news that she was a paraplegic to learning how to use her legs again, through the six-year long court case and now being finally free to make the most of her life, Emma teaches us the importance of courage and resilience and how to appreciate the extraordinary beauty found even in the most ordinary moments of our lives.
This heartfelt book is more than a memoir, it's a call to action that reminds us not to take our lives and abilities for granted but to live every day like it could be our last.
My sister recommended this, having enjoyed reading it and meeting Em on the Tasmanian leg of her book tour. I was immediately gripped by this story – after all, how many nonfiction books start with someone free-falling 14,000ft into the ground?
Em Carey’s positive energy leapt off the pages – it’s an empowering read. I was touched by the rawness and vulnerability as she shared her journey, from skydiving accident and paraplegic, to walking again and embracing life.
“Perhaps that’s all bravery really is - the courage to look for hope where there is none and looking anyway.”
As Em lay bed-bound after the accident, she realised how much she previously took for granted. From this, came the book’s central message: “If you can, you must.” It’s about making the most of life – if you want to do something, can do something, then do it while you can. It’s about being grateful for all we have – particularly our bodies and all they do for us. While it was tough reading of her injuries, incontinence and intrusive medical examinations, Em’s ability to leap headfirst into difficult topics reflected her approach to life itself.
Despite this, things started to read like a gratitude journal. While integral to her story, it almost felt like a shout-out to friends, where everyone was wonderful – except an ex-boyfriend, who ultimately got reduced to a wire-monkey tangent. Em has certainly endured horrific circumstances, though also received a large amount of privilege throughout – which many don’t have.
Chapters like “Spinal cord injuries” and “Ableism” firmly placed the reader in the life of someone with such an injury. Em does a fantastic job raising awareness and educating others about disabilities. It also gave me a better understanding on how life was for my grandmother, who experienced the world from her wheelchair for fifty years.
“I ache knowing how thoughtlessly we get out of bed in the morning while there are others who are working towards that moment as their single lifelong dream.”
Social media proved a turning point in Em’s recovery, giving her purpose and community. It felt familiar, reminding me of the power Goodreads has too – something I have been lucky enough to experience.
“It was only words on a screen, but when you’re in the depths of a challenge and clinging to the little things, it felt like so much more.”
The Girl Who Fell From the Sky is an incredible story of courage, resilience, and finding joy in life. With positive vibes radiating from each page, there are takeaways for all.
“How wonderful it is to know that the best day of our life might be waiting for us somewhere in the future, and we have no idea how full our hearts are capable of feeling. That what we have and what we feel in this moment isn’t all there will ever be - there is still so much more to come.”
Many thanks to Allen & Unwin for a copy of this book.
Such an amazing story of survival and determination. The parts describing her accident, recovery and court case were so interesting. As was the focus on how ableist the world is with no understanding of what it’s like to live in a disabled body. However there were parts that became very repetitive, and while the discussions and messages on the power of positivity and gratitude were important, they were delivered to the reader so frequently and quite forcefully they almost lost their power a little. I found these parts a little too sickly sweet, and almost a little preachy. An interesting story that’s worth a read, I’m sure everyone can take something away from this book.
I’m going to start by saying one of the first thoughts that I had when I finished this book which is that I think every single person should to read this book. I really believe anyone and everyones life would be benefited by reading Emma’s perspective on life and hearing about her experience.
This book was such a rollercoaster of emotion, I have never read a book like this before and I truly believe Emma’s story and her words will stay with me forever. This book made me cry so many times but equally made me feel so uplifted and encouraged to achieve everything I can in life, and more. Since reading this book I find myself so much more thankful for little things I’ve never taken notice of before which is such a beautiful thing to take away from a book.
The Girl That Fell From The Sky is a memoir by Emma Carey which details life since she fell out of the sky in a sky diving accident in Switzerland and was left a paraplegic. Emma writes so incredibly about what life was like after the accident and how her perspective on life changed which was truly remarkable to read about. She also details the horrendous struggle through her court case which was honestly so sickening to read but I think is so important to be aware of as it’s something you wouldn’t know how traumatic it is unless you have the personal experience. I have the upmost respect for Emma and feel so thankful to her for sharing so many details of some of the highs and lows in her life so far. I know this book will impact so many people.
Please do yourself a favour and pick this book up, your life will be better because of it 🤍
Firstly I think everyone should read this book. There are so many life lessons that Em shares. She truly turned her pain into purpose and I have so much respect for her. Not only does she share the traumatic events that she went through, but every single lesson she learnt along the way. And really bringing more awareness and opening peoples eyes to what it is life for those living with a disability. As a sister of someone with a disability, I’d like to “think” I can understand but no one truly understands what it’s like unless you’re in their shoes. Biggest lesson from this book is don’t take the small things for granted. And not every bad thing that happens to us is necessarily bad.
How do you make such an incredible story so boring?
It's incredibly repetitive, too short, and does not have enough detail for the actually interesting parts like the mechanics of the injury, recovery, and the court case, but also it's a painfully slow long read.
I admire her optimism of course but my COLD COLD heart just cannot relate and found it annoying by the end of it. The writing is also far too simplistic to make this unique story shine. I wondered if there was a ghostwriter involved as I read it, but I don't think a ghostwriter would have sprinkled the same formula at the end of each chapter (a positive outlook statement written in a cliche way). The chapters are too short and choppy. Why does it hurt so bad to give a bad review?
It's contradictory. I think that's the main irk. Its toxic positivity but then it's doubling back critiquing toxic positivity by throwing in a few sad scenarios. I didn't feel the grittiness I craved or was hoping to get from this. Yes there's awful moments and some shocking but the writing just isn't good so it didnt hit hard. IDK I'm confused.
TAKEAWAYS:
- I could relate to this so much "it's disconcerting and jarring to watch the world go on while yours has completely stopped, my world frozen in time, how could such a feeling so large only be inside of me"
- "losing a part of me physically forced me to find and recognise more of me" - me with my comics
- "Those legs I had been ashamed of in the changeroom mirror, I saw strong, durable and capable legs holding me up" - THIS IS ME with my ankle scars. I'm so proud of them, I stopped putting scar cream on them a long time ago because I don't want them to fade, it's a physical reminder that I went through something really hard.
- I remember the hurt I felt not being able to stand up, run towards someone and hug them, Em talks about this "Being able to stand up and hug someone that meant the world to me was one of the greatest gifts I'd ever been given"
- I liked how she spoke about moving places "I could see everything exactly as it was because there was no memories attached to any of it".
- "There would never come a day where I would discount all the platonic love in my life because I was waiting for the real thing. My friends were the real thing" - I LOVE THIS
I guess I can’t say I finished this book completely, I had to skip some chapters as they were almost exactly the same as other. But I did love Emma’s story and it is amazing to see how far she has come.
there’s no denying how heartbreaking emma’s story is. however the language was way too flowery and over-detailed (using many clichés) for my liking. also, many over repeated messages (which were a bit too self-helpy for me which i cannot seem to get into). i hate giving stories like this a low review but i did not enjoy the way this was written 3
When Emma Carey was twenty, she fell from 14,000 feet and survived. In this amazing book, emma tells us the inspirational story of how, through one of her greatest tragedies, she found her truest self.
From waking in the hospital a paraplegic to learning how to use her legs again, through the six-year long court case and now being finally free to make the most of her life, Emma teaches us the importance of courage and resilience.
Ok ok ok. If there is one biography you need to read this year, it’s this one. I read it in two days, tears, laughter and all.
I have been familiar with Em’s story for a while, but not in the detail that her book went into. I just can’t imagine free-falling with no parachute and having to live remembering every single moment of that fall. It’s insane.
She had me in literal tears, both of the happy and sad variety, as she told the story of how she learnt to walk again and rewrite the story for herself. It’s an inspirational masterpiece and I loved every second of it.
It feels extremely patronising to say that Emma is inspirational, amazing, a miracle. For while all of that is true, that’s not what she wants to be. While I really enjoyed this memoir my review is conflicted, so it’s a review and a message, I suppose.
Em literally fell from the sky, during a sky dive gone wrong. 1 second changed her life forever, along with her unconscious instructor she hurtled to the ground and was left with a spinal cord injury. Emma is completely frank about the details of the accident, her injuries and her comeback. Along with that she faced a years long legal battle. In each chapter em tells us to be positive, how positive she has been, and genuinely that’s amazing. It reads a lot like self help, she has overcome a lot with determination and positivity. She’s worked incredibly hard at recovery, at regaining a life, maintaining a life, friendships and some really amazing experiences.
Emma genuinely is a special person, I don’t really know anyone like her. I found her story to be empowering, the book well written, and her positivity inspirational, astounding, actually at times. I think a lot will find it a bit cheesy in all honesty, but hey, how many of us fell from the sky?!
If you can, you must - love that!
I enjoyed the narration, if I did find it a little faster than I’d have liked.
3.5 🌟
Currently included with audible 🎧
Now. I read the book and was completely blown away by Emma, the downside was it made me reflect on myself, and that’s kinda hard sometimes, so, here’s my message for anyone who reads this and thinks wow she’s done so much to overcome this and stayed positive, and it perhaps made you feel some other way about yourself. She has, it is inspiring indeed, I can’t take anything away from her at all, but if it hurt a little to hear that positivity and gratitude got her this far, I feel you. Em has had incredible privilege, outstanding healthcare that’s not available to everyone, a fabulous support group that not everybody has, and I guess I want to say that we’d all long to walk in the sea, take long summer trips (or whatever your dreams are) and overcome what ails us, gratitude can’t always make that happen, so if your just grateful for what you have and know that your disability won’t allow these things that’s ok, if your trying to be positive and finding some joy for yourself that’s ok. If you’re absolutely furious that you can’t do things that’s damned well ok too.
Wow. What an amazing book. So often when someone writes a book to tell a story of what happened to them, you are engrossed in the story itself, not the writing. Emma, though, is a wonderful writer, sharing her story AND her feelings.
If you are at all familiar with what happened to her, you know of her wonderfully positive attitude. But this isn’t a “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade” story. This is “lemons are a gift, too” story. She doesn’t believe we should be grateful despite bad things happening … she believes we should be grateful for everything life brings to us, however it arrives.
I don’t often use the word “inspirational” but she truly is.
Wow what a crazy story. I liked how she explains that even though people see her as so positive, she talks about how she often isn’t and how it is a challenge to be positive. She also really inspired me to have better appreciation for my body. I think my favorite line from the whole book is from the nurse when they were going over catheters “you’d be amazed at what you can adapt to.” Life throws us a lot of curveballs that seem so overwhelming at first and then one day those overwhelming changes have become our normal routine. I think it was a good book but it was repetitive in some parts so 3 stars for me.
I think that the fact that I’ve been reading this since sept goes to show how I feel about this book. It’s 3.5 stars for me. I think she is inspiring, brave and strong but wow oh wow did this drag on and on about choosing the positive and grateful route. I don’t disagree with that, definately believe the power in gratitude and positivity for mindset. Especially as someone who has gone through something life altering and tragic myself. Just wasn’t my favourite book and happy to be done
WOW. the best autobiography I’ve ever read (listened to)! Highly recommend listening to this one as Emma narrates it herself. I am in awe of this incredible woman. Her mindset & positivity is what I strive for. I related to chapter 27 soo much. Slightly obsessed with her now lol 😅
“Just because someone carries it well, doesn’t mean it isn’t heavy”
This book had me in TEARS 😭 such a beautiful story of survival and determination! Also a good reminder to be thankful for what we have and to look at situations in a positive light
Emma’s story is so inspiring and her positivity throughout this book is genuinely so incredible. This book is beautifully written and is such a good reminder to be grateful for the little things.
“What had haunted me in the past wasn’t simply sadness, it was being incapable of seeing that the sadness would ever end. It wasn’t the difficult road ahead that I used to fear, it was the belief that there was no road”
A heartfelt story of surviving the unimaginable. Emma Carey’s positive attitude and determination to enjoy life is incredible. She articulates many complexities relating to loss and acceptance. She gives insight into the dual nature of grief, illustrating the possibility of feeling both sorrow and joy. A very inspirational story!
Such an inspiring story of how perspective can change everything. To find positivity & happiness in the face of so much trauma and heartache is something we should all aspire to look for
There was a bit of detail about her accident and recovery, a few shocking parts (the insurance claim medical exams 😱) and a whole lot of positivity and gratitude for life.
I feel energized after finishing this. Definitely a great book to pick up if you need a reminder to appreciate what you have and that life is still amazing even if it doesn’t go to your plan
Amazing story, inspirational woman, terrible book. I would have liked to have come to my own conclusions of resilience and determination, instead of having them repeated over and over through repetitive boring inner monologue. Too preachy, too many thoughts and not enough story. I’d tell people about her amazing tale but I wouldn’t recommend the book.
An inspiring story about learning to live and love a life that was nothing like you thought it would be. An inspiring story by a strong and determined woman. “If you can, you must”
Absolutely loved this. I've been curious about this book as I've followed Emma Carey on Instagram for some years now and it didn't disappoint! Her perspective on life after surviving a 4km fall is inspiring to say the least. From trauma, grief, ableism, the legal system and social anxiety to hope, gratitude, resilience and the importance of friends and family, this book covers a lot. It's very personal, surprisingly uplifting and a great reminder to not take anything for granted, even the mundane stuff.
Amazing! Definitely recommend this book and listening to an audio version. Her optimism, joyful and unique outlook on life is what everyone should aspire for. After listening to this book, I have a different outlook on life and the nudge not to take anything for granted. Something as simple as everyday things/activities. Truely an astonishing story, journey and women!