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Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite
Rooting Out Shame: A Son's Account of Child Sexual Abuse and Recovery by Frank Root III is a profoundly moving and disturbing memoir that chronicles the author’s traumatic childhood filled with sexual abuse inflicted by his parents. With raw honesty and heartfelt reflection, the author takes readers through a labyrinth of dark memories, emotional turmoil, and the struggle toward recovery while underlining the indelible marks left by betrayal. The book explores several important themes, including the complexity of shame, the struggle to seek help, and the path to healing. Shame pervades Root's narrative; it is an omnipresent specter that follows the author from childhood to adulthood. He recounts feeling worthless, much of it stemming from his perceptions of the abuse and the normalization of sexual acts as a child. This sense of shame complicates his emotional landscape as he struggles with feelings of vulnerability and powerlessness, especially in interactions with authority figures.
This is the journey of the author’s healing, loaded with insight and lessons for readers. It has strong psychological underpinnings and brilliantly shows readers the numerous challenges of healing from childhood trauma. Rooting Out Shame offers an interplay between memory repression and recovery, another theme in the memoir. Frank Root III’s journey of uncovering repressed memories—triggered by the external conversations surrounding sexual assault, like those found in the #MeToo movement—illustrates how complex and challenging it can be for anyone to confront past trauma. His evolution from victim to survivor is marked by a series of self-affirming choices, including the courageous decision to hold his father accountable. The legal battles highlight the flaws within the justice system but also illustrate the possibility of reclaiming power. This memoir is a work of love, filled with wisdom and insights to guide readers on their journey toward healing from trauma. The author’s authoritative voice grips the reader from page one and never relents.
