Review of The ReRooting

[Dana Lawrence Lohn]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The ReRooting" by Betty Norwood Chaney.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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The practice of reading a play is a rapidly vanishing pastime in America. As the volume of video rises and various multimedia outlets compete for our attention, quietly reading a play and owning the intense mental work required to picture the scenes, hear the characters' voices, and comprehend its core messages is just too heavy a lift for some. Most Americans never read a play again after completing high school or college coursework. Those who are willing to foray in and experience such an underappreciated genre should consider Betty Norwood Chaney's The ReRooting: the Culmination of The Rooting Place Saga. This two-act play is both provocative and intensely rewarding. It is the third and final series installment produced by a daring Mississippi-born writer who carried this story in her heart for decades before penning it and seeing it launch on-stage in Georgia in 2019.

The play is set in rural Mississippi in December 2016. The plot centers on Effie Raye, an elderly grandmother who serves as the lynchpin for her family and has converted her home into a small hostel. Her sophisticated and metropolitan grandson has returned from an unsuccessful national political campaign, and her nephew is operating the farm down the road. A secretive new guest arrives with her son just days before Christmas. Does this sound like a conventional family drama or perhaps a romance novel?

Think again. It is critically important to tell you that this play contains depictions of child sexual exploitation, adultery, beatings, and attempted murder, from the very first scene. Circumstances get dire and conflicts severe before the denouement and the generally uplifting epilogue.

This is not a work that will ever be staged for a sensitive or impressionable audience. I referred to Cheney above as a daring writer. I reflected repeatedly on her boldness as I read, as she shies away from nothing with her pen; this narrative is fearless and guaranteed controversial. This is the kind of story that conservative politicians move to ban from libraries. I hope this play lasts in an accessible way in the public forum and feel glad to see it available on Amazon.

Thematically, the play contains vivid depictions of the Deep South in the post-Jim Crow era. It is written in African American Vernacular English and contains grammatical, vocabulary, and accent choices that will be unfamiliar to many readers and may strike some as culturally offensive. This is a drama to experience with careful thoughtfulness and openness. A reader who completes it with an appreciation for its main messages will come away richly rewarded. I rate this book a 5 out of 5 out of deep respect for both the aptitude of its author and the audacity of its content.

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The ReRooting
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[Amanda Meira]

It sounds very interesting. I'll definitely look for it to read later . And thanks for the warning about the more sensitive topics.

[Tomy Chandrafrost]

The premise of this book looks interesting, considering the themes it addresses are relevant to the current human issue. Reading your review makes me even more eager to read this book. Thank you for writing this. What a great review.

[RJ Reviews]

The cover caught my eyes. Then your review points out that this is not a typical family drama or romance. The themes of this book are dark yet so authentic. I would love to give it a read. The rating is also encouraging. Thank you for sharing a glimpse of this unorthodox book. Until next time.

[Ludovica Peruzzi]

Ooh! I love reading plays, and I totally agree with you that it's become too underrated a practice. Your review sounds incredibly interesting, and the warning about sensitive topics was very much needed. I don't mind either way, but I like to be prepared. Great work!

[Stephen Christopher 1]

Wow, Dana, I'm impressed with your choices of books to read and review. Having been an actor I've read my fair share of plays, lol, I may never read another one. This work does sound quite controversial, and maybe again, one I'm not in an immediate hurry to read. Who would you say would be the core demographic for this play?

[Harshitha G B]

Thanks for the warnings. Many my not able to process the information with all these triggeres. You written so well and that's itself is interesting. Thank you for the review.