The first three chapters of Root Shock truly brought a meaning to the cliched phrases “Home is where the heart is.” and “Home Sweet Home”. Nobody ever imagines losing their home, the place where they feel the most familiar and comfortable with. And upon losing their home, they lose a sense of hope on what the world is like. When thinking about root shock in such a serious manner, it is not at all surprising that such a trauma would affect mental health.

What tore me apart throughout the reading was the determination of the black community to make their community into the “New Jerusalem” from the Reconstruction-era to the Civil Rights Movement, only to have their hopes completely demolished by the goal of “urban renewal”, a decision that was made by rich, white, corporate men. What disgusted me even more was that such an event is not mentioned in history lessons. However, similar tragic, and horrifying tales about the loss of community is mentioned when telling about the Native American Communities during the Mayflower, the Trail of Tears and Wounded Knee, and the Jewish community during the Holocaust. The housing projects today are the reservations to the Native Americans and the still existing ghettos in Rome to the Jewish people. The idea of tearing communities apart caused it to be much more difficult for groups to unite and fight social inequality.

Root Shock showed the impact on social inequality between racial, religious, and economic groups affects the psychological health of individuals, which is a unique and effective approach to focusing on mental health. The problem, though, is that the effects of root shock are still not mentioned up to this day.