More Than My Scars

The first thing you will notice when you meet Kechi Okwuchi is her scars. One of just two survivors of a devastating plane crash that killed more than 100 people, 16-year-old Kechi was left with third-degree burns over 65 percent of her body. More Than My Scars is her incredible story. A story of not just surviving impossible odds but thriving in a world that is too often caught up with how we look on the outside rather than seeing that our true value is within.Now in her early 30s, Kechi has spent the last 16 years refusing to be defined by her trauma. Follow her as she decides for herself what role her scars will play in her life before society decides for her. Her strong sense of identity, rooted in seeing herself the way God sees her, has allowed her to live authentically in a world that constantly seeks to define us by its ever-changing (and ever-shallow) standards. Kechi's story will inspire you to love and accept yourself as you are and confidently present your true self to the world.From the Back Cover"This is a story that needs to be read--a testament of what it means to not only deal with challenges in life that very few can imagine but to face them head-on and use them to bring hope to others."--from the forewordby Simon Cowell, executive producer and judge of America's Got Talent***The first thing you will notice when you meet Kechi Okwuchi is her scars. One of just two survivors of a devastating plane crash that killed more than one hundred people, sixteen-year-old Kechi was left with third-degree burns over 65 percent of her body. More Than My Scars is her incredible story. A story of not just surviving impossible odds but thriving in a world that is too often caught up with how we look on the outside to remember that our true value is within.Kechi's strong sense of identity, rooted in seeing herself the way God sees her, has allowed her to live authentically in a world that constantly seeks to define us by its ever-changing (and ever-shallow) standards. Her story will inspire you to love and accept yourself as you are and confidently present your true self to the world."This is a book about more than just a plane crash. It is about a mother's fierce and unending love, the bond between mother and child, the kindness of strangers, and the power of the human will. It is about hope, as Kechi writes of hope 'calling out to her.' It is about faith in God, a journey she documents with honesty and wit. And it is about her immense courage, which she does not even seem fully aware of."--Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, award-winning and bestselling author of Americanah and Half of a Yellow SunAbout the AuthorKechi Okwuchi is a Nigerian American recording artist and motivational speaker. One of two survivors in the Sosoliso Airlines Flight 1145 crash on December 10, 2005, she was a finalist on America's Got Talent in 2017 and has put out her own original music since her appearance on the hit TV show. As a burn survivor advocate, she became a national patient ambassador for Shriners Children's Texas in Galveston in 2017. She has since been active in events organized by WE Movement, a global youth empowerment organization, speaking and singing to thousands of students at WE Day events all over the country, the most notable being WE Day UN, which took place in New York in September 2019. As a bullying prevention advocate, she has teamed up with the organization Be Strong Global, as well as Instagram and Teen Vogue, to speak out against bullying. She hopes to use her story and her musical talents to ignite hope. Okwuchi lives in Pearland, Texas.