If Women Rose Rooted: A life-changing journey to authenticity and belonging

The first few chapters had me hooked. The descriptions of the Scottish, Irish, and surprisingly American landscapes were beautiful. It had the nature aspect similarly found in the Backyard Chronicles. The prose and poems were also beautiful. However, I was surprised to find the same descriptive beauty shifted drastically when recounting the celtic myths that the book was drawing much of its wisdom from. It felt disjointed. The premise of the book is a Heroines Journey, however, while Blackie makes valid call backs and relevant descriptions of the feminine experience, the "guidance" or "journey" that is promised is not delivered until a poor outline of the Eco-Heroines Journey with a few journal prompts until the end of the book comprising of three pages. I would have appreciated the prompts being placed at the end of each relevant chapter. This book is more of a memoir of Blackie and the women around her (some fascinating), but after a while their stories are a bit repetitive. All in all, while the book has some important points, I think it needed a few more months in the workshop before being launched. As a reader I hear journey as an offer to help guide the reader, but this is more of a journey of witnessing Blackie and others, rather than exploring the journey for ones self.

My very favorite book. Ever. Blackie is a beautiful storyteller, writing at the intersection of ecological justice, feminism, myth + pre-patriarchal history, and the process of coming alive to our own power + existence. For anyone currently contemplating an escape from “the wasteland”: this book could change your life. And, either way, it WILL augment your perspective.