Quarter Finalist
Assessment:
Idea: The idea of writing about loss - and reaching readers with similar losses - is unique and appreciated. While it has certainly been done before, this book brings a positive and reflective viewpoint that will resonate with readers.
Prose/Style: While the prose isn’t memorable, it is well crafted, well organized and has few, if any, errors. The memoir reads somewhat journalistically.
Originality: Many people write about various losses of their loved ones. However, this narrator has more losses than many, and she seems to cope more effectively than most. Writing the book seems to have helped heal her from these terrible and numerous tragedies, and will likely help others grappling with grief.
Character/Execution: The book is also well structured, and the narrator displays little self-pity. Each time a death occurs, she actively struggles to overcome her grief and finds many ways to do so. Both her husbands are drawn in detail, but she remains the central developed character.
Date Submitted: October 02, 2020
Toelle-Jackson writes with sincerity and clarity as she illuminates experiences that will resonate with readers. She organizes the text both chronologically and emotionally, making connections between losses across years; her experience of her cousin’s death at a young age is indisputably part of her grief process, though at times fitting her connection with Brittany into a narrative centered on her life with Joe can feel choppy. But her expressions of love for both Joe and Kyle are genuinely heartfelt, and those seeking a new relationship after the loss of a partner will find her experience relatable and supportive.
Readers undergoing similar experiences will immediately relate with Toelle-Jackson’s advice for family and friends during the grieving process, and her willingness to be angry with God will also help readers cope with feelings of guilt. She uses her own transformative experience as a springboard, including her work with peer support organizations, and her central theme–that “grief doesn’t exist without love [and] love is always worth the grief”–grounds the narrative and offers readers an outlook without glossing over challenging emotions. Backmatter includes summarized “Lessons from Grief” that will be useful for readers who need quick touchstones for the advice woven throughout the text.
Takeaway: Readers seeking reassurance and hope in the midst of grief will find Toelle-Jackson a comforting companion.
Great for fans of: Joanne Cacciatore’s Bearing the Unbearable, Amy Bloom’s In Love.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: B+
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-
Autumn Toelle-Jackson recounts the profound losses she has incurred in this lifetime with grace and tenderness. This book is less about grief and more about what it means to find meaning in our deepest struggles. If grief is a reflection of love, then the reflections we see in Toelle-Jackson's book shimmer like a gorgeous lake of resilience, holding the simple beauty of what it means to be human in this world.
In Boldly into the Darkness, Autumn Toelle-Jackson vulnerably shares her story of love and loss. She is honest and authentic as she takes us on her journey through darkness and survival. Toelle-Jackson's story is sad at times but shows us her strength, resilience, and commitment to living a full and love filled life.
Boldly into the Darkness is more than just a book about loss. It is a beautifully woven story—as well as an educational workbook of sorts—about grief. The title itself suggests that the validity of both darkness and hope are equal, and that each individual must find their way through horrific pain in order to feel the light. Autumn Toelle-Jackson has a way of using imagery in such a way that we feel as if we are inside every single physical and emotional place she courageously takes us to.
With Boldly into the Darkness, Autumn Toelle-Jackson shows there can be light even in the darkest of places. Her memoir is sure to speak to the heart of everyone who has experienced a loss. What a beautiful gift she's given to readers: proof there can be hope, healing, and great love after loss. A must-read!''
This is a book I started reading and I could not put down. It is the true heartfelt story of Autumn Toelle-Jackson, a brave woman who has experienced more tragedy than many could endure. When you read this book, you will learn about love, loss, hope, and the indomitable strength we can all summon inside of us. It teaches us how to be resilient and move forward after a tragedy, and that it's truly possible to carry on with life's journey and even find happiness again. A masterpiece of a memoir and a must-read!
With deep compassion, beautiful self-introspection, and profound vulnerability, Autumn Toelle-Jackson gracefully shines a glowing light of hope into the dark shadows of grief and loss. Boldly into the Darkness is ultimately a book about choice—the choice to say yes to life even while death abounds; the choice to invite supportive community into bottomless personal despair; the choice to love anew even while the heart aches for missed beloveds. Toelle-Jackson's story exemplifies the courage of the human spirit, the resiliency of a young wife and mother, and the post-traumatic growth that comes with intentional healing. Boldly into the Darkness is engrossing from the first page to the very last.
