Review of Toward the Light
Welcome to my first Wednesday offering for Nonfiction November. Today it's a memoir. Paris...hooray! Sexual assault...boo! Conquering your demons...hooray! Thanks to WOW Blog Tours and author Deborah Svec-Carstens for a copy of Toward the Light. If you enjoy a memoir about working through trauma to triumph, this is the book for you. You can read a great author interview HERE.
More about Toward the Light
What happens when the City of Light turns dark?
At twenty-two, Deborah Svec-Carstens leaves small-town Iowa for Paris, hoping a year
abroad will bring adventure, independence, and a fresh start. But just as she begins to
feel at home, a morning run ends in sexual assault.
Every instinct tells her to leave. Instead, she chooses to stay.
As the months pass, Deborah leans on an unexpected community of friends, wrestles
with questions of faith, and finds purpose in caring for Lily, the young girl entrusted to
her care. Slowly, she discovers that healing is not a destination, but a path taken one
step at a time.
Set against the cafés, parks, and neighborhoods of Paris, Toward the Light is a coming-
of-age memoir of trauma, resilience, and the courage of simply staying.
More about Deborah Svec-Carstens
Deborah Svec-Carstens, JD, MTS, is a writer, book coach, spiritual director, and former lawyer whose work explores healing after trauma, embodiment, and spirituality. Her debut memoir, Toward the Light: A Year in Paris, traces her search for meaning and
connection in the months after a traumatic assault in Paris in her early twenties.
Her writing has appeared or is forthcoming in bioStories, the Brevity blog, the Des
Moines Register, and Ember & Vine Nonfiction Anthology. Her work has received recognition from Writer’s Digest, WOW! Women on Writing, and Memoir Magazine.
Deborah writes The Spiral Staircase on Substack and offers workshops and
presentations. She lives in Central Iowa with her husband, where she writes and
accompanies others in their journeys of healing and story.
Catch up with the Author
Website: https://deborahsveccarstens.com
Thoughts on Toward the Light
I know sexual assault and inspirational shouldn't go together but in this book they do. It is mainly about a young women's journey to recovery after a sexual assault. Toward the Light records a spiritual journey as well as the friends she made and the unexpected ways that they helped her find her confidence and joy.
Author Deborah Svec-Carstens writes with incredibly descriptive language. In fact, fear becomes another character complete with form and action in her life. We haven't all suffered through sexual assault but we've all had an experience that shook us to our core. That makes Toward the Light a universal read. As you read about Deborah's faith and support system, you'll start considering your own and wondering how you would stand up to life's challenges. This book tells one woman's story but also invites you to question your life.
Ready to Read
Join the Tour
October 19th @ The Muffin
Join us as we celebrate the launch of Toward the Light: A Year in Paris by Deborah
Svec-Carstens. Read an interview with the author and enter the giveaway.
October 20th @ Guatemala Paula Loves to Read
Looking for a new memoir? Read an excerpt from the debut memoir by Deborah Svec-
Carstens, Toward the Light: A Year in Paris.
October 22nd @ All Things Writing
Author Deborah Svec-Carstens shares her writing experience in Writing About Trauma,
Not Reliving It.
October 27th @ A Wonderful World of Words
Deborah Svec-Carstens writes about the journey to release the shame after her assault,
including writing her memoir Toward the Light.
October 30th @ Nikki's Book and Movie Reviews
Stop by for a review of Toward the Light by Deborah Svec-Carstens.
October 31st @ Boots, Shoes and Fashion
Meet author Deborah Svec-Carstens in today's interview.
November 4th @ Words by Webb
Jodi shares her thoughts on Toward the Light by Deborah Svec-Carstens.
November 6th @ Book Reviews From an Avid Reader
Today Joan is reviewing a memoir of trauma and hope by Deborah Svec-
Carstens: Toward the Light.
November 14th @ World of My Imagination
Celebrate National Memoir Writing Month with Nicole's review of Toward the Light: A
Year in Paris.
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