In the Heart of Life

July 15, 2013
Part African travelogue, part journey of an adventurous mother/son team, Eldon writes lyrically and honestly, portraying both the breathtaking landscapes of Kenya and her struggles as a wife and mother amid shattering loss. From an early age, Eldon is fascinated with the continent and sees her dream of moving there fulfilled as a young woman, eagerly jumping from the cornfields of Iowa to Nairobi (via London), where she is captivated by “the clarity of light... and the brilliant colours of the bougainvillea.” However, over the years Eldon confronts a growing dissatisfaction as she fights to find her own identity, a battle that leads to her emergence as a writer as well as the unraveling of her marriage. Her son,Dan, possessed with an enormous heart and tremendous spirit— especially when it came to handling the mix of beauty, danger, and suffering he witnessed daily in Kenya—became a photojournalist documenting profoundly troubled hot spots around the world. When Dan, trying to aid victims of a bomb attack in Somalia, is murdered by an angry mob of survivors, Eldon, struggling with grief, realizes a vision for influencing change. Through speeches, photography exhibits, and a documentary, she brings to light her son’s story and that of other journalists on the front lines in war-torn countries. Although Eldon endures tremendous heartbreak, her recovery is a testament to the ability to heal.

August 1, 2013
A TV and film producer's memoir of a rich life lived as an American expatriate in Britain and Kenya and of the remarkable relationship she had with her son, photojournalist Dan Eldon. As a child, Iowa native Eldon often dreamed of "flying away and exploring the world." She got her wish not long after graduating from college when she married an English businessman and went to live with him in late-1960s London. But it quickly became evident to her that a life of dull domesticity would not allow her to help other people. All that changed after her husband was transferred to Nairobi in 1977. Eldon embarked on a magnificent adventure in a land that not only captivated her heart but also awakened a deep inner restlessness. She educated herself about Kenya and its people, went on safaris and met extraordinary artists and intellectuals, including several members of the brilliant Leakey family. Eager to be more than just another "bored" wife, she began writing articles about everything from Kenyan food and politics to visiting celebrities like psychic Sylvia Browne, who started Eldon on a lifelong metaphysical quest for truth. She also encouraged her gifted son to express himself through art and, later, photography. Self-enlightenment brought increasing professional recognition and success but ended her marriage and nearly destroyed her. She returned to England, where she found a career mentor in distinguished film producer Geoffrey Dudman. Meanwhile, her son began his brief but brilliant career as a humanitarian and photojournalist. Eerily enough, his tragic death at age 22 fulfilled a psychic prediction that she would find her purpose in finishing the work another had begun. A vibrant, interesting book marred by an overabundance of detail and an overreliance on cosmic signs taken for predestined wonders.

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September 1, 2013
In 1993, Eldon's son, Dan, a Reuters photographer, was killed along with three fellow journalists by a mob in Somalia. Reeling from his death, Eldon published a best-selling collection of his richly illustrated journals, The Journey Is the Destination (1997), established the Creative Visions Foundation, and continues to do great things with her daughter and ex-husband to celebrate Dan's life and work. Now, in this staggeringly intimate memoir, Eldon lays bare not only her shock and grief over the devastating circumstances of her son's death but also the details of her failed marriage, her regretted indiscretions, and her struggle to find her own true purpose beyond wife-and-motherhood. Eldon is a very spiritual person and recounts some surprising experiences with channeling, spirit guides, and mediums. She acknowledges skepticism of these matters, however, and describes her encounters with the same straightforwardness with which she reveals ill-fated matters of the heart. Fans of Dan's work will appreciate her unvarnished emotions and honesty, and book clubs will find much to discuss.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)