Benilde Little, the author of Good Hair, paints a story of self-discovery in her new book, Acting Out. Acting Out follows the life of stay-at-home-mom, Ina Robinson. The book is told in first person with periodic flashbacks to Ina’s youth. We see Ina as an awkward girl dealing with her eccentric mother; a typical teenager, not sure of where she belongs; a free college student, just starting to find her way; and a young mother and wife, trying to balance her new roles with old the definitions of herself.

As the book begins, Ina’s comfortable life in an upper class suburb is being turned upside down by her husband of 14 years, Jay. He returns early from work one day and announces that he is no longer happy in their marriage and is leaving her. In the wake of rumors circulating in their upper class community about Jay’s affair, Ina struggles to take charge of her live and the lives of her three children, Malcolm, Marcus and baby Ivy.

After having nowhere else to turn, Ina begins a process of reliving her decisions and laying the pathway for her next chapter in her life. Through the process of self-reflection and reconnecting with old friends, including a long lost love, Ina finds the pieces of herself she had accidentally lost so many years ago.

Acting Out accurately describes the joys and woes of both marriage and motherhood. The book gives a vivid depiction of how easy it can be to lose oneself in the everyday business of life. The book is candid and easy to follow. It is an enjoyable read.

Tiffany