September 25, 2012. Ted Neill picked up a knife to cut his wrists open and kill himself. Post hospitalization and treatment for major depressive disorder, he wrote Two Years of Wonder, a memoir based on his journey toward recovery. In it, he examines the experience that left him with such despair: living and working for two years at an orphanage for children with HIV/AIDS in Nairobi, Kenya.

Neill interweaves his story with the experiences of Oliver, Miriam, Ivy, Harmony, Tabitha, Sofie, Nea, and other children, exploring their own paths of trauma, survival, and resilience. In a narration that is, by turns, poetic, confessional, and brutal, Neill with the children, he comes alongside, strives to put the pieces of their fractured lives back together as they search for meaning and connection, each trying to reclaim their humanity and capacity to love in the face of inexplicable suffering and loss. 

Two Years of Wonder has been compared to Bryan Stevenson's Just Mercy, Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat Pray Love, and Brene Brown's Daring Greatly and Dare to Lead. Fans of these authors, their vulnerability, their depth, and their focus on social issues will find that Neill's story and the story of the children he knew in Kenya resonates. 

About the author: In addition to his time living in Kenya, Ted Neill has worked for CARE and World Vision International in the fields of health, education, and child development. He has written for The Washington Post and published multiple novels.