The Book: 10 Days in January

By: Eleanor Deckert

Puzzle pieces

Little Eleanor is given two dolls in anticipation of the twins her mother will soon give birth to.

What happens next shapes Eleanor's view of her Self, her family, her spiritual Journey, and begins her search for healthy relationships with her father, brothers, husband, sons.

Like a puzzle, Eleanor fits together bright and dark portraits of her family and relationships.

Like stepping stones, detailed descriptions bring the reader from early childhood, through marriage, parenting, soul-searching and the empty nest.

Stepping stones

Meet the menfolk:

• a First-Born Son
• a reliable provider
• precious babies
• rambunctious rascals
• competitive teens
• a priest
• a professor
• a labourer
• an athlete
• a sailor
• a bridegroom

See the view:

• from the the top of Pikes Peak
• within a Church Community
• in a homeschooling family
• inside the struggles of a defiant child

Travel to:

• a hospital ward
• a wedding
• a funeral
• a birthday dinner
• a one-room log cabin
• a graduation
• a family reunion

Hear:

• a telephone call 
• crying in the night
• a counseling appointment
• a confession
• the alarm clock in the morning
• singing at bedtime 

bright and dark

"Here is a memoir of the strongest variety. The story is often raw and heartbreaking, the observations insightful, the descriptions richly textured."

Editor, Friesen Press

Take a look inside for more photos paralleling each chapter.

Reviews

"Readers experience effective writing which is colorful, personal, emotional and frank. Deckert demonstrates her gift for detail, is dedicated to utter transparency and satisfies the reader's curiosity with her warm, descriptive style.

From early childhood through marriage, parenting and the empty nest, Deckert focuses on her relationships with her father, brothers, husband and sons, as well as father-figures who enter her life while she struggles to remain self-aware, mindful of her own spiritual Journey and psychological well-being.

By sharing the puzzle pieces of her life, Deckert challenges readers to examine for themselves the core question: How do I become my most authentic 'Self'?"

Editor, Friesen Press

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What Readers are Saying

“... a remarkable piece of writing... it is so descriptive, it feels like I am in the room.”

Kathy, Social Worker

“...you have conveyed a difficult journey.”

Anne, author

“...thanks for pouring your heart out again.”

Peter, electrician

“It is encouraging to realize that your family is like all of ours: bright days and dark, knit together with the occasional threads of the strife – but always thrumming with love.”

Editor, Friesen Press