Before I even opened the book, I realized that I wasn’t quite sure what root shock meant. At first, I assumed it was a term fabricated for this book, but I figured I should Google it to be safe. To my surprise, 8 of 10 links sent me to this book, but 2 offered me a definition. Up to this point we all know what it means, so I wont get hung up on that, but what I found most interesting is that the first source I found cited Hurricane Sandy as the most recent occurrence of root shock, the second being the Japanese Tsunami last year. This bit of research combined with the elegant definition and “injury” metaphor provided by Fullilove hit it home for me.

I hate to say it, but I dont think I have ever experienced root shock. How easily comparable is it to emotion trauma? I guess Ive had “my world turned upside-down,” but never my literal world.