Book excerpt: Chiara Luce, a girl full of vitality, but, suddenly, she fell gravely ill. And, strangely, moment by moment, a new life full of light began to unfold for her. She was eighteen when she died, yet she had lived to the full. Thanks to a collection of her writings, a biography and a video, and through her friends, the local bishop and the Gen, Chiara Luce’s life continues to inspire people. Each generation has its stories of heroism and holiness, which then become models for those coming after them. and yet these young people who have gone to the next life were not aloof or idealized; they have not become “icons”, to use the current terminology. They were just going on ahead of the others to another place, where they all eventually hope to meet up again. This is the story of the life of Chiara Luce Badano, a life lived to the full.