BECOMING THE BRAVE ONE

A debut author discusses healing, justice, and surviving childhood trauma in this memoir.

Born into a “complicated, blended family” in a suburb of Vancouver, British Columbia, Carrasco notes in the book’s introduction that she falls “into the category of people that ACE [Adverse Childhood Experiences] researchers predict will struggle and don’t expect to thrive” in adolescence and adulthood. In this book (which includes a myriad of trigger warnings featured throughout its subheadings) the author openly shares her many childhood traumas. Carrasco was sexually assaulted by an uncle and raped by her brother, who was eventually arrested and sent to a juvenile detention center. The author was also intimately connected to murder—her best friend and legal guardian was killed, and Carrasco discusses the ways in which her grief was compounded by survivor’s guilt. There were also more subtle traumas that continued to affect her into adulthood, from a violent episode in which her father broke a figurine depicting the author to the failure of their family’s church to embrace her when she needed help the most. Religious trauma, and Carrasco’s complicated relationship with Christianity, are central themes; God is referenced throughout the book, and the author highlights the immense damage that churches can inflict. Yet, despite the traumatic nature of her childhood, which the memoir tackles head-on with harrowing, detailed descriptions, Carrasco emphasizes the ways in which she has found self-empowerment and healing, including surfing, owning her own successful business, and having children of her own. Most importantly, perhaps, she notes how she came to embrace restorative justice as a path toward forgiveness and experienced healing via direct conversations with her abusive brother and the murderer of her friend. Intending to use her story to inspire others who have experienced similar traumas, the author, who is well-versed in best practices in childhood trauma therapy (the book features endnote citations from academic works on the subject), writes with a welcoming style as she provides advice, resources, and reassurance to other victims.

A powerful, gritty memoir of survival and self-empowerment.