November 14, 2026

Toward the Light: A Year in Paris

Author: Deborah Svec-Carstens
Amazon Rating: 4.7
Genre: Memoirs and Biographies
Price: $5.99   $0.99 (Price may have changed. Last verified on 11/14)

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.

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