The Ten Day Daughter by S. Michael Wilcox

 This little book was on some give-away table, so I thought I'd give it a try. I admire S. Michael Wilcox and have listened to many of his talks and he is accessible, spiritual, humble, and brilliant. Even though this is an older book, I thought it would probably be interesting at the least, and great at the best. 

It was published in 2012, and I think this may have been an early retirement project for him. It's an interesting read, about a homeless pregnant young woman who needs help, but constantly refuses it. The Wilcox family tries to take her in and help her, but she is skittish and fearful. I enjoyed the wondering about what her past was, and what she would do next, but I got a little tired of all the tears and crazy. Wilcox's wife spent lots of time crying too, and it begins to feel like the mental challenges and hysteria are contagious. Still, I had to admire what it took to try so hard to help someone, especially someone who did not want help. And the rest of the family was at an age and stage where taking this on was obviously complicated and challenging.

And, surprisingly, there was no happy ending. There was no resolve. I actually appreciate that Wilcox has no easy answers or rationale or explanation. It made me wonder what he thinks about this experience years later. Did he ever understand more of what happened or why? That would be fascinating to know...

It's going to Deseret Industries now, so someone else can read it and wonder, "What would I do in a similar situation?" And, "Am I doing enough to love my neighbor?" In that regard, it was inspiring...