After the trauma of a savage attack, a farm girl recovers physically, but her identity, faith, and relationships are shattered.
This is the true story of Leona Stucky’s childhood on a Kansas farm, surrounded by a loving family and the simple tenets of her Mennonite community. Violence enters her world in the guise of a young man who seems normal to everyone else but who Leona knows to be deranged in his obsession with her.
His unrelenting abuses take root, and Leona must deal with them utterly alone. Her pacifist father cannot avenge or protect her, nor can a callous justice system. Even God is impotent.
Leona is cast into a bewildering life of disgrace and poverty—with a baby, a violent husband, and battered faith. Through a series of page-turning events, she hacks through the bones of her naïveté to confront harsh realities and to probe the veracity of religious claims.
The Fog of Faith is a suspenseful and morally unflinching drama of shame and survival, as well as usable and unusual wisdom.
This edition includes thoughtful questions for readers and groups to further explore their own stories.
Praise:
The voice of this woman’s spirit and courage rings clearly as she faces the personal challenges of her faith—when the adversity in life tests the veracity of her beliefs against the reality of terror. This book is an important, insightful book that I highly recommend.
– Michael Paymar, author of Violent No More: Helping Men End Domestic Abuse
Naked with fear, aflame with rage, at once heart-pounding and heart-breaking, this true tale climbs from the wheat fields of Kansas to the promised Heaven above—and down again.
– Robert Mayer, author of The Origin of Sorrow, The Dreams of Ada, Superfolks, and other books
Paperback: 340 pages
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Prairie World Press (May 25, 2017)
ISBN-10: 099864742X
ISBN-13: 978-0998647425
The Fog of Faith is available in ebook and in print at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and IndieBound.
Book Giveaway Contest:
To win a copy of The Fog of Faith please enter using the Rafflecopter form at the bottom of this post. The giveaway contest closes Sunday, November 12th at 11:59 PM EST. We will announce the winner the next day in the Rafflecopter widget. Good luck!
The Reverend Doctor Leona Stucky, the author of The Fog of Faith, resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico. When not working, she enjoys New Mexico landscapes, walking and driving in the open expanse, and exploring nature here and around the world with friends and family. Being a grandmother is one of the highlights of her life; she adores playing with the little ones and watching their relational capacities unfold. She revels in their joy and treasures moments together as they grow.
Dr. Stucky first received a degree in psychology and philosophy from Boston College, graduating summa cum laude, before plunging into seminary, first at Andover Newton Theological School and then at Eden Theological Seminary. She earned a doctorate from Southern Methodist University with honors, and a Diplomate certificate from the American Association of Pastoral Counselors—their highest credential—for teaching, supervising, and offering therapy services. She currently has standing as a Unitarian Universalist community minister. She values the UU principles that affirm loving engagement without requiring members to believe in God or bend to religious creeds.
After completing her formal education, she helped develop a post-graduate training center, The Southwest Institute for Religion and Psychotherapy. Her understanding of psychodynamic theory as well as other therapeutic approaches continued to blossom as she taught them to others. She has led workshops for clinicians in a number of states and several countries.
She is a creative thinker and a life-long learner. She enjoys sharing insights with clients, students, friends, family, and fellow professionals—and now with you.
After 30 years as a professional psychotherapist, Dr. Leona Stucky narrates her unflinching faith-and-violence dilemma in a riveting memoir, The Fog of Faith: Surviving My Impotent God, which spares neither God nor violence against women and has been recommended by MS Magazine.
Website: http://thefogoffaith.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leonastucky/
-----Interview by Crystal J. Casavant-Otto
WOW: What prompted you to not only write your story but also to share it? Was there a defining moment when you said "this story deserves to be told"?
Leona: From my 30s on, I realized I had a story to tell, and nowhere to tell it. It couldn’t be told in ordinary conversation and I had too much shame around it to tell those who didn’t know me well. Those who did, didn’t know what to make of it. I didn’t want blame or pity, so I just avoided the subject altogether.
I tried to write theological and social justice papers that would introduce the subjects that hounded me, but it sounded just like any other foggy believer or non-believer trying to ask questions. I knew my story made my experience of faith far more intense than any theological discussion could handle, so I stopped trying to tell it that way. From that vantage point, I couldn’t reconcile myself with myself.
I did publish a theological/psychological/feminist critique in a pastoral counseling journal in '93, which of course, few people read, and fewer still grasped what I really meant.
I decided that to communicate so that the average person could understand, I’d have to write the whole story the way it happened. I tried several versions and failed. Without formal writing training, I realized I was too busy with family and my psychotherapy career to gain writing competence.
Finally, as I have aged, I’ve taken some writing workshops and classes and though I didn’t want to take this project on, it wouldn’t budge from number one on my bucket list. So, I gave in and wrote my heart and soul out for 12 years. The Fog of Faith: Surviving My Impotent God is the result.
WOW: It's an amazing accomplishment! I love that you said that it was number one on your bucket list, and twelve years shows your dedication to the craft of writing.
How do you balance writing and the busy-ness of day to day life? What advice can you share with other writers?
Leona: No true balance for me. My friends tried to maintain contact and I with them, but they knew and I knew that most occasions would fall by the wayside in the interest of writing while I was still working full time. It still took forever and I’d say to others – just be patient. It will be what it will be. Follow your process and table whatever can be tabled.
WOW: That's great advice. What has been most challenging in regards to writing your story, sharing it, publishing, etc.; what advice to you give others who may want to share their story?
Leona: As a psychotherapist I’ve heard many stories, and maybe that gave me some courage to tell my own. Facing one’s own reality honestly can be therapeutic. I decided to understand my shame and allow it to be known by others. That takes tremendous courage and fortunately I have that.
WOW: Fortunate, indeed! Sharing our truths takes tremendous courage, and I like to read books, like yours, that do that. What is your favorite book and why? or Who is your favorite author may be a better question?
Leona: I love Fyodor Dostoevsky and William Faulkner as classical authors. Crime and Punishment, The Brother’s Karamazov, and As I Lay Dying are three of my favorite books, although it has been years since I’ve read them. Alice Walker, Robert Wright, Ayaan Hirisi Ali, and Robert Mayer are some of my modern favorites, but there are far too many to name.
WOW: Are you part of a writer's group?
Leona: No. I felt it would take up too much of my time to be reviewing others work. But I have taken lessons/classes from Robert Mayer. He is brilliant and a marvelous teacher for me. His book, The Origin of Sorrow, is one of my all-time favorites.
WOW: What advice would you give if you had an opportunity to speak to a younger version of yourself?
Leona: I would say, hang in there with it. You know more than you think you know. Be forever patient with yourself. Stop judging if your work is good enough. That, you don’t know.
WOW: If there were a song to go along with your book, what song would it be and why?
Leona: Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto no. 2. It rolls into movement, the highs and lows, and creates suspense, action and incredible tensions that can’t be answered but must be lived through. It often makes me cry and yet I love it. Life does that to me too. It often makes me cry because love settles into its bones and yet I run with it, laugh and alternate between living it fully in one moment and getting some distance to breathe in another.
WOW: Thank you, Leona, for chatting with us today! We look forward to your tour!
----------Blog Tour Dates
Monday November 6th (today) @ WOW! Women on Writing
Interview & Giveaway
http://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/
Tuesday, November 7th @ Lisa Haselton
Lisa Haselton interviews Dr. Leona Stucky about her moving memoir "The Fog of Faith"
http://lisahaseltonsreviewsandinterviews.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, November 8th @ CMash Loves to Read
Today's guest blogger at CMash Loves to Read is none other than Dr. Leona Stucky. Hear from her on the topic of "Growing up Mennonite" and learn more about her memoir, The Fog of Faith: Surviving My Impotent God.
http://cmashlovestoread.
Thursday, November 9th @ Writers Pay it Forward
"Our Hatred of Helplessness" is today's topic at Writers Pay it Forward as author Dr. Leona Stucky discuss this as well as her memoir, The Fog of Faith: Surviving My Impotent God.
https://writerspayitforward.com/
Monday, November 13th @ Reviews by Deb
Deborah Blanchard reviews and shares her thoughts after reading The Fog of Faith by Dr. Leona Stucky. Don't miss this insightful blog stop.
https://www.facebook.com/Reviews-by-Deb-1737715249887520/
Tuesday, November 14th @ Linda Appleman Shapiro
Linda Appleman Shapiro reviews Dr. Leona Stucky’s memoir, The Fog of Faith, and shares her insight and thoughts with readers at her blog!
http://applemanshapiro.com/category/book-reviews/
Wednesday, November 15th @ Bring on Lemons with Sarah Pickel
Wisconsin mother, avid reader, and medial professional Sarah Pickel reviews The Fog of Faith by Dr. Leona Stucky. Don't miss this insightful review.
http://bringonlemons.blogspot.com/
Thursday, November 16th @ Jerry Waxler
Jerry Waxler reads and reviews Dr. Leona Stucky's memoir The Fog of Faith. Don't miss this insightful book blog stop on another great WOW! Women on Writing tour.
https://www.jerrywaxler.com/
Friday, November 17th @ Janese Dixon
Don't miss today's author spotlight at Janese Dixon's blog - the author is none other than Dr. Leona Stucky. Readers can learn more about Dr. Stucky and her moving journey: The Fog of Faith: Surviving My Impotent God.
http://www.janesedixon.com/blog
Friday, November 17th @ Bring on Lemons with Michelle DelPonte
Wisconsin mother, avid reader, and autism advocate Michelle DelPonte reviews The Fog of Faith by Dr. Leona Stucky. Don't miss this insightful review.
http://bringonlemons.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, November 21st @ Bring on Lemons
Today’s guest blogger at Bring on Lemons is Dr. Leona Stucky sharing her thoughts about “The Direction of Destruction – Winning” – don’t miss this opportunity to learn from Dr. Stucky and find out more about her memoir, The Fog of Faith; Surviving My Impotent God.
http://bringonlemons.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, November 22nd @ BookWorm
Dr. Leona Stucky stops by Anjanette Potter's Bookworm blog with a moving and inspirational guest post about "Recognizing Evil - an Underbelly Job" - readers won't want to miss this opportunity to hear from Dr. Stucky and learn about her memoir, The Fog of Faith; Surviving My Impotent God.
https://bookworm66.wordpress.com/
Thursday, November 23rd @ Memoir Writer’s Journey
Kathleen Pooler hosts Dr. Leona Stucky at Memoir Writer's Journey - read Stucky's guest post "Shame - How Culture and Religion are Internalized" and learn more about Dr. Stucky's memoir: The Fog of Faith; Surviving My Impotent God.
https://krpooler.com/
Monday, November 27th @ Choices with Madeline Sharples
Leona Stucky is today's guest author at Choices with Madeline Sharples. Her guest post is titled "Public Denial of Violence Against Women" - learn about this as well as her book, The Fog of Faith.
http://madelinesharples.com/
Keep up with the latest book tour info by following @WOWBlogTour on Twitter.
*****BOOK GIVEAWAY*****
Enter to win a copy of The Fog of Faith by Dr. Leona Stucky! Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. We will announce the winner in the Rafflecopter widget on Sunday, November 12th!
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6 comments:
Thank you for sharing your story with the world. I look forward to reading this memoir.
I agree with Margo! Thank you, Leona, for sharing your courageous story. It sounds like one that had to be written, and I admire your dedication to the craft of writing. You've inspired me to keep going on my memoir, no matter how long it takes. :) I look forward to reading your book, and good luck on your tour!
Thank you for sharing. Definitely a story that needed to be told
I look forward to reading your book. Thank you for being brave enough to tell it!
Thanks so much for your comments. I really love to hear from readers. I learn so much from all of you. Don't hesitate to drop me a note when you have read the memoir. And I do want to encourage all you writers. Women's stories have not been heard (read) nearly enough. Just remember that our lives were not recorded anywhere for thousands of years - and now we are still completely underrepresented in print. Your words are necessary! Leona
It sounds like a very inspiring book. I'm glad that you found the courage to face your situation and to write a book about it.
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