Comes the Darkness, Comes the Light: A Memoir of Cutting, Healing, and Hope [Hardcover]

Vanessa Vega (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 9, 2007

When Vanessa Vega would feel the darkness begin to come over her, she would do anything, hoping to escape it. Take a hot bath. Read a book. Watch TV. Talk to a friend. But then, finally, unable to fight it any longer, she would give in, head into the bathroom...and cut. "Comes the Darkness, Comes the Light" is a disturbing yet ultimately redemptive and inspiring memoir of a young woman compelled to injure herself in an attempt to cope with her overwhelming feelings of anxiety in the only way she knew how. Though still unknown to many, this disorder affects an estimated one per cent of the population...and is on the rise, especially among teens. This affecting, heartwrenching book follows author Vanessa Vega's progress as she climbs her way back to emotional health and rebuilds her life. Readers will go inside the mind of a 'cutter', taking the journey with her as she struggles against her exhausting and shameful secret ritual.As Vega faces the anger and insecurity that lead to each encounter - while working with a therapist to understand the real motivating factors behind her behavior - "Comes the Darkness, Comes the Light" reveals what brings many to this disorder...and what can lead them out. With stunning insight, Vega has written a moving first-person account of self-injury, struggle, and redemption.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Texas teacher Vega's horrific account of her lifetime of self-abuse alternates between an intimate diary of pain and a healing dialogue with her counselor. In piecemeal details of her years growing up the eldest daughter of an ambitious, well-educated disciplinarian father and an efficient caretaker mother, Vega portrays herself as a child so eager to please her exacting parents that she began to punish herself for her perceived (by them, but mainly by herself) shortcomings. She would hit herself until she passed out, and cut or starve herself to cause a punishing pain that allowed a release to anger and frustration she was not allowed to express. Her mother's diabetes, her parents' divorce and abandonment by her father led to mounds of guilt, and Vega's abuse of diet pills put her in the emergency room. By the time she seeks therapy she is in her mid-30s, married and no longer able to control her increasingly dire self-mutilation. Her work is cleanly wrought and raw with emotion, especially the passages that take place during group therapy with several other deeply troubled women. There is much to Vega's story that is left unsaid, though her aim is admirable and true: to share her story so that kindred readers will seek help. (May)
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Review

Vanessa is clearly a talented writer, […] I feel that this is a positive contribution to the existing self-injury literature.

-Lifesigns: Self-injury Guidance and Network Support

A well written book that provides an insight into the mind of someone battling an eating disorder and self-injury.

-Centre for Emotional Well-Being blog

"Her work is cleanly wrought and raw with emotion. “

-Publisher's Weekly

“It is a tribute to Vanessa Vega that her account is infused with gentleness. Kindness toward herself was one of the hardest things for Vega to grasp in recovery. Asking that readers view her life with care is a mark of healing and hope. This is perhaps the book's most lasting gift, because it is more than an account of issues that can be horrifying. It's a call to a greater level of compassion. Because Vega has learned more about compassion and forgiveness in her own life, the request she makes of readers feels honoring.”

-About.com

“... more than an account of issues that can be horrifying. It's a call to a greater level of compassion.”

-About.com

Vega shows that it is possible to both overcome stigma and change misapprehensions.”

-Treatment Online

More importantly, the book is a story of hope for others who grapple with the same disorders.”

-Health News Digest

The author’s overarching tone throughout the two-hundred page work is a tone of sincerity and brutal honesty.

-Pegasus News

“Silver Winner of the 2008 Nautilus Book Awards in the Memoir/Personal Growth category.”

 

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: AMACOM (May 9, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814474233
• ISBN-13: 978-0814474235
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #585,257 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Vanessa Leigh Vega, M.S., is a high school English teacher and motivational speaker. She is a contributing author to the award-winning "Taste Berries for Teens, Volume IV." She has been nationally recognized for excellence in teaching by being named to the "Who's Who Among America's Teachers" in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. She has a degree in English/Secondary Education from Texas Tech University and a degree in Health Education and Promotion from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. She resides in Irving, Texas, where she is working on her next book. Vanessa speaks about cutting at conferences, schools, and special events.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Inside the Mind of a Cutter, January 3, 2011

By 

Mor - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Comes the Darkness, Comes the Light: A Memoir of Cutting, Healing, and Hope (Hardcover)

This book provided me excellent insight into the mind of a cutter to help understand why Vanessa repeatedly injured herself. Ms. Vega shares her thoughts through individual therapy dialog, group therapy, and personal memories and motivations. I valued reading this book because it allowed me to experience a personal account of the issues involved with the desire to cut oneself. It removed some of the myths I had heard and introduced me to a deeper understanding of the complexity of this dis-ease of at least of one individual. As a therapist-in-training, I learned a great deal, I think more than if this had been a book written by a therapist about one or more cutters that they have seen in counseling. Great read. I highly recommend it.

5.0 out of 5 stars Touching and Healing, April 14, 2010

By 

Amy E. Nelson "anel" (texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Comes the Darkness, Comes the Light: A Memoir of Cutting, Healing, and Hope (Hardcover)

This book is both touching & healing. You do not have to be a cutter to identify with the pain that Vanessa has felt, or the hopes and dreams of the future. Excellent read!

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth re-reading, March 20, 2010

By 

Ashley Lowther "Ashley" (West Virginia) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Comes the Darkness, Comes the Light: A Memoir of Cutting, Healing, and Hope (Hardcover)

A great true story. I even got in touch with the author and we talked some. Anyone that suffers from some of these issues would most likly enjoy this this.