Awe inspiring, courageous and honest, I could not put this book down until I reached the final page . . . Amy Julia shares the beauty of her daughter Penny, the person that she is, not just the diagnosis the professionals speak over her daughter. This book touched my life in ways I never envisaged. I recommend this book for everyone.
- Review by Jayne Hounsome, Christian Marketplace Magazine

Written from a Christian perspective, Becker invites us to journey with her as she wrestles with her daughter’s diagnosis with Down syndrome. She shares the lessons learned and the ways in which God changed her perspective and rearranged her priorities. It is a beautiful, open, honest memoir of her experience dealing with her child’s diagnosis. ... As a mother of a child with Down syndrome, and as a Christian, I was able to relate and appreciate Becker’s journey. I still find it incredible that somehow, with all of us being so different from one another; our children with Down syndrome teach us similar lessons.
- Review by Ellen Stumbo, Stumbo Family Story

I hope you’ll join Amy Julia in moving beyond normal and finding the extraordinary by reading through [her] book, refocusing your heart and remember that perfection is over rated because as long as there is love and gratitude, the frustrations and fears of the unknown will fall into place.
- Review by Maria Wikle, Spreading Joy Blog

A Good and Perfect Gift is loving, thoughtful, and full of just the kind of spiritual questions that so many family members - including those who aren't Christian, like me - have had, too. It's sweet and lovely, and I'm very glad it exists.
- Rachel Simon, bestselling author of Riding the Bus with my Sister and The Story of Beautiful Girl

As I read this book, I realized what a gift it is to walk through this story with such an incredibly candid guide! Amy Julia Becker makes herself vulnerable to enlighten us, not just about Down syndrome, but about the intrinsic gifts of life. Amy Julia's daughter Penny is the pure heart by which many assumptions are exposed. My favorite moments are the conversations with friends and family that flesh out the important difference between pity and compassion. This book is a must- read, and not just for families and friends of children with Down syndrome.
- Sara Groves, singer and songwriter

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, her story will shake you, change you, and encourage you. In a world obsessed with achievement and perfection, A Good and Perfect Gift opens the door to a much more excellent way.
- Andy Crouch, Author, Culture Making

This excellent and moving book about Penny as a wonderful gift should be read not just by parents of people with disabilities but by all of us who should discover the beauty of those who are different.
- Jean Vanier, author, founder L’Arche

It has been said there are places in our heart we do not even know until the heart is broken. A Good and Perfect Gift is the moving story of how Amy Julia Becker and her husband found their hearts broken - broken open, wide and deep - through the arrival of their very special child. There is beauty here - in the writing, in the story, told with deep feeling and faith but not sentimentality. I recommend this book highly, not only to parents with a special child, but to all who seek to discern what God gives us through some of our most painful times.
- Leighton Ford, author, The Attentive Life

Do not be fooled. This is not a typical book about disabilities, sorrow and triumph. This is a book about a mother who loves her daughter. “I needed to see her as our little girl, not as a diagnosis, not as an obstacle to overcome.” This is among the best books I have read about the true power of the powerless.
- Christopher de Vinck, author, The Power of the Powerless

It takes faith to turn an unmet expectation into something delightfully exceptional, and Amy Julia Becker learned to do just that when Penny was born. Poignant and powerful, the world needs more stories of inspiration like this one!
– Joni Eareckson Tada, Joni And Friends International Disability Center

A forthright account of a how a mother used her religious faith to come to terms of adjustment, acceptance, and love for having a child with Down syndrome.
- Dr. Carl Pickhardt, psychologist, author, child development expert

Amy Julia’s rare gift with words- descriptive, vulnerable, penetrating- bring to life a message of joyful contentment inspired by her daughter Penny.
- Susan Alexander Yates, author and speaker

This well- written, splendid book reminds us that parenting is easy: just love your children, and this is a book that reminds us that children with special needs can be a burden and tragedy if, as Amy Julia Becker says, we miss “the whisper of peace” that resides in all children who just want to be nurtured and loved.
- Christopher de Vinck, author, The Power of the Powerless

If you have doubts about how to love your newborn child, read this beautifully written, grace- filled book. Amy Julia Becker, Penny’s mother, offers insight and wisdom that is medically and emotionally helpful as she shares her life as Penny’s mother, recognizing that it was not a brave act to simply love her child.
- Christopher de Vinck, author, The Power of the Powerless

Buy three copies- one for yourself and two to give to parents or grandparents who are blessed to receive a gift like Penny!
- Susan Alexander Yates, author and speaker