Connecticut

Teacher Who Survived Sandy Hook Shooting Has Book Deal

A teacher who helped save students' lives during the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut has a book deal.

Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis has a book deal with G.P. Putnam's Sons and "Choosing Hope: Moving Forward from Your Life's Darkest Hour" will be released next spring.

The publisher said the book will be a "poignant account of personal triumph over unbearable tragedy." Robin Gaby Fisher is co-writing it.

Roig-DeBellis saved 15 first-graders by rushing them into a bathroom when she heard gunfire at the school on Dec. 14, 2012, kept them huddled in the tight space and assured them that everything would be OK, even though she did not quite believe it herself.

The gunman eventually shot himself to death after gunning down his mother, six teachers and 20 children.

Glamour Magazine chose Roig-DeBellis to be the woman of the year for 2013.

“I have lived my life so as not to let that day define myself or my students,” Roig-DeBellis said during the ceremony. “This award is an honor of the 26 angels who I know are looking down on us right now, she said through her tears. “This is for them.”

Roig-DeBellis’ book will not be about what happened at Sandy Hook. Instead, it is about the trauma Newtown suffered and how to move forward from tragedy by choosing hope.

Last year, Roig-DeBellis founded Classes 4 Classes, a nonprofit that advocates teaching children that all lives are connected.

 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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