Some books are written from a safe distance, years after the dust settles. Scotty Roberts wrote his from inside the storm.
When his life collapsed without warning, Roberts found himself fighting for every breath. A long illness ended in the amputation of his leg. His mobility went with it. His marriage began to slip away. He woke up in a body, and a world, he barely recognized.
The First Twelve Days by Scotty Roberts is the record of what happened next. It is not a book about a man who survived. It is a book about a man deciding what kind of life he would build out of what was left.
Stucci Media readers may remember Roberts from his raw conversation about navigating life after amputation on the MARC Network. Now the full story is in print. Here is the complete breakdown: the book, the author, who it is for and every link to order your copy.
What Is The First Twelve Days About?
The First Twelve Days follows Scotty Roberts through the first twelve days after a long illness ended in the amputation of his leg, at the exact moment his long marriage began to come apart. It takes the reader through the hospital, the loss and the first hard decisions about who he would be next.
It is nonfiction from start to finish. Every scene happened. Every fear was real.
The book’s own tagline says it best: a true story of losing a leg and a marriage, fighting for every breath and choosing to rise anyway. Roberts is not asking for pity. He is telling the truth about what it costs to keep going, and why it is worth paying.
Breath, Bone and Heart: The Three Fights
Roberts frames his story around three battles that hit him all at once.
Breath
He was fighting for every single one. Before the amputation and before the divorce papers, there was the simple, terrifying work of staying alive. As he told the MARC Network, his crisis did not begin with a slow decline. It began with a complication from treatment for an unrelated tracheal problem, and it spiraled fast.
Bone
A leg lost after a long illness. Roberts writes about the physical and emotional reality of losing a limb from inside the hospital bed, not from the comfort of a writing desk years later. That closeness is what gives the book its punch.
Heart
A marriage slipping away, and the love that remains even when it does. This is the part of the book many readers will recognize most, because you do not need to lose a leg to know what it feels like when the life you planned comes apart.
Inside the Book: Five Threads That Hold It Together
- The collapse. The aftermath of a sudden medical crisis, and the way one emergency sets off a chain of others.
- The leg. The physical and emotional reality of losing a limb, written from inside the hospital bed.
- The marriage. A long marriage coming apart, and the love that is still there when it does.
- The time-prompts. Mystical time-prompts, inner reckonings and the small moments of grace that arrive uninvited.
- The fight. A man fighting for more than survival. He is fighting for meaning.
That fourth thread is what separates this memoir from a medical diary. Roberts is a storyteller by trade, and he pays attention to the strange, quiet moments that show up when everything else is falling apart. Those moments of grace are where the book catches its breath, and where readers will catch theirs.
A Story for 2.3 Million Americans and the People Who Love Them
Limb loss is far more common than most people realize. A 2024 study commissioned by the Amputee Coalition estimated that nearly 2.3 million Americans are living with limb loss, and more than 5.6 million are living with limb loss or limb difference combined.
That is a lot of people relearning how to get from the bed to the bathroom. It is veterans in rehab centers, grandparents dealing with complications from illness, and survivors like Boston Marathon bombing survivor Marc Fucarile, who turned his own loss into a mission to help others. Behind every one of them is a spouse, a parent or a kid trying to figure out how to help.
The First Twelve Days gives all of those people something rare: proof that someone else has been in that bed and found a way forward. It also speaks to a topic men in particular tend to bury. When illness, divorce and loss of independence hit at once, the toll on a man’s mental health is real, a subject Stucci Media explored in depth in our look at men’s mental health and where real help comes from.
Who Is Scotty Roberts?
Scotty Roberts, whose full name is Scott Alan Roberts, has spent decades telling stories for a living. He is a creative director and art director, an illustrator, designer, photographer and a writer of both fiction and nonfiction. For years he has worked in the advertising world of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota.
In his own words, he is also a rogue historian, a rapscallion theologian, an adventurer and a father of six. That personality comes through on every page. Even at his lowest point, Roberts writes with a storyteller’s eye and a dry sense of humor that keeps the book from sinking under its own weight.
Then a long illness ended in the amputation of his leg and left him fighting for every breath, while his marriage was coming apart in the same season. The First Twelve Days is the record of those first twelve days, and of a man choosing to rebuild.
Roberts has talked openly about the book, including a December 4, 2025 podcast interview on Voice of the Working Man. You can follow him on Facebook, Instagram and Goodreads, and browse his other books on his Amazon author page.
What Readers Are Saying About The First Twelve Days
Early readers on Amazon have responded strongly, giving the book an average of 4.8 out of 5 stars as of early October 2026. A few lines from verified buyers capture why:
“I was blown away by Scotty’s story, riding out its perfect storm in one sitting.”
Steve H., verified purchase, paperback
“It was so inspirational that I finished it in one day.”
Verified purchase, paperback
You can read every review on the book’s Amazon page.
Who Should Read The First Twelve Days?
This book is for anyone walking through heartbreak, illness, reinvention, recovery or the quiet wilderness of starting over. Specifically:
- People facing an amputation, a hard diagnosis or a long hospital stay
- Anyone going through a divorce or the end of a long relationship
- Veterans and caregivers navigating limb loss and rehab
- Family members who want to understand what a loved one is going through but cannot find the words
- Book clubs and support groups looking for a short, honest read that sparks real conversation
A fair warning: as an amputation memoir, the book deals directly with serious illness, hospitalization, amputation and the end of a marriage. It is honest about pain. But it is ultimately a story about rebuilding, and it ends pointed toward hope.
If You Liked These Books, Read This One
Readers who were moved by Paul Kalanithi’s When Breath Becomes Air, Jean-Dominique Bauby’s The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Suleika Jaouad’s Between Two Kingdoms or Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning will find the same underlying question here: what do you do with suffering once it arrives?
The First Twelve Days at a Glance
| Title | The First Twelve Days |
| Author | Scotty Roberts (Scott Alan Roberts) |
| Genre | Memoir, nonfiction |
| Length | 138 pages |
| Published | December 1, 2025 (independent) |
| Paperback | $17.99, ISBN 9798276923369 |
| Hardcover | $28.99, ISBN 9798276949062 |
How to Buy The First Twelve Days: Editions and Links
- Paperback ($17.99): Buy The First Twelve Days in paperback on Amazon
- Hardcover ($28.99): Buy The First Twelve Days in hardcover on Amazon
- Try it first: Read a free sample of the opening pages
- Book clubs: Download the free book club guide with questions ready to print. At 138 pages, it fits one meeting.
- Bulk copies for events, support groups or clinics: contact Scotty directly
- Official site: buythefirsttwelvedays.com
Prices listed are from the official book site and may vary on Amazon.
The Bottom Line
We spend a lot of time on this site talking about grit. The First Twelve Days is what grit actually looks like when nobody is filming. It is a man in a hospital bed, minus a leg, minus the marriage he thought he had, deciding that his story is not over.
The message Roberts leaves readers with is simple: you are not finished, you are not alone and you can rebuild. If you or someone you love needs to hear that right now, this is a book worth putting in their hands.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The First Twelve Days by Scotty Roberts about?
The First Twelve Days is a memoir about the first twelve days after a long illness ended in the amputation of Scotty Roberts’ leg, at the same time his marriage began to come apart. It follows him through the hospital, the loss and the first decisions about who he would become next.
Is The First Twelve Days a true story?
Yes. It is nonfiction, a memoir Scotty Roberts wrote about his own medical crisis, amputation and divorce.
How long is The First Twelve Days?
Both the paperback and the hardcover are 138 pages. Many readers finish it in one sitting.
Where can I buy The First Twelve Days?
It is sold on Amazon in paperback for $17.99 (ISBN 9798276923369) and hardcover for $28.99 (ISBN 9798276949062). A free sample of the opening pages is available on Amazon.
Who should read The First Twelve Days?
Anyone walking through serious illness, limb loss, divorce, recovery or starting over, along with the people who love them. It also works well for book clubs, since it is short enough to read in a week and has a free discussion guide.
Disclosure: Stucci Marketing designed and built the official website for The First Twelve Days.
Rocci J. Stucci is the founder and CEO of Stucci Media and host of The Rocci Stucci Show.
