Becoming Home - Large Print by Ashleigh G Stevens (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In Becoming Home: Journeying Through the Rooms of My Past to Reclaim My Story, Ashleigh Stevens' memoir takes readers back in time to the rooms of her past. She revisits the memories that bring her the most sorrow as well as joy, to show that no matter how painful the room may be, there is always light and a lesson that lies underneath. Her rooms explore difficult topics as she relives the abuse she suffered at the hands of her stepfather as well as a past boyfriend. She enters rooms of illness and the death that changed her family forever. The more rooms she enters, the more aware she becomes. The doors into her mind begin to change and so does the author. Through therapy, written in beautiful prose, author Ashleigh Stevens shows readers how to embrace our darkest memories to live a life full of light.

Review Quotes

Reviewed by Edith Wairimu for Readers' Favorite

In her profoundly hopeful memoir, Becoming Home: Journeying Through the Rooms of My Past to Reclaim My Story, Ashleigh Stevens revisits past traumatic parts of her life so that she can heal, love herself, and embrace other new, beautiful experiences. After ending an abusive relationship, Stevens decided to examine her past, uncover the pain that she had ignored for so long, and look into the rooms she had locked up. Stevens covers her parents' troubled marriage and divorce. While she remembers past happy moments, she documents the tragedies that changed her family forever. She explores the abuse she suffered from her stepfather and an ex-boyfriend and the loss of herself during the difficult moments of her life. Her story shows that healing is possible and periods of pain can lead to hope and happiness.

This is an eye-opening memoir written in elegant prose that draws readers into the rooms of Stevens's life, encouraging them to look into their pasts, find healing, and discover their true selves. I appreciated how Stevens organized parts of her life in the form of rooms, showing how each part impacted her and how she learned to understand and grow from each experience. There are many enlightening moments included that I found encouraging. I loved Stevens's emphasis on taking time to invest in oneself, understand how tragedy affects us, and see the blessings that are wrapped within the difficult aspects of life. Becoming Home by Ashleigh Stevens is an incredible memoir full of hope and written with empathy and wisdom.

Reviewed by Amy Raines for Readers' Favorite

Becoming Home: Journeying Through the Rooms of My Past to Reclaim My Story is a memoir by Ashleigh Stevens. Ashleigh doesn't believe that home is any specific place. Home is where a person feels loved, happy, and safe with family. An act of cruelty at the hands of her stepfather caused her to have severe problems later on. Her reactions to the problems she knows she'll face when she does something her boyfriend disapproves of make her realize that she should leave him. With low self-esteem, a poor self-image, and hardly any love for herself, Ashleigh realizes that she needs professional help. Her therapist helps her to dig deep into her emotions.

Becoming Home is an inspiring story that will help other people search for ways to find peace after suffering from emotional trauma. I applaud the courage it takes for any victim of any kind of abuse to step forward and share their story so that others may recognize the signs of abuse and do something about it. I love that Stevens used her personal experiences to convince herself that trying to heal on her own just won't do. This will help others see that seeking the help of a professional therapist can help them in the healing process. I recommend Becoming Home by Ashleigh Stevens to anyone who has suffered trauma or knows someone who has. This book would be the perfect addition to the self-help books that guide people through ways to heal and will help them cope with the trauma they face.