Acting Out

By Benilde Little

Book Overview

From the bestselling author of Good Hair and The Itch comes a novel about a modern woman living in--and acting out--her role as an upper-class African American suburban wife.

Ina West is caught between the life she thought she was supposed to lead and the dreams she gave up long ago. Raised by loving but imperfect parents, Ina grew up a free spirit, getting a fine education and spending her twenty-something years as a photographer in Manhattan. But when family crisis and financial burdens came her way, Ina sought comfort in the arms of Jay Robinson, a hardworking businessman who occupied the safe, privileged world of the African-American upper middle class.

As Jay's wife, Ina has it all: the lavish home, the SUV, the soccer games...until one day Jay walks out of their marriage, leaving Ina with no one left to trust but herself. How she manages to raise three children, take up her old career, rekindle an old flame, and celebrate her newfound independence is what Acting Out is all about. By turns heartbreaking, uplifting, and wry, this novel will resonate for any woman who has struggled to find her path in life.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0684854813
• ISBN13: 9780684854816
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Excellent novel for the creative black woman!

I suppose Ina's story isn't for everyone -- many a hardworking woman would call her an ungrateful whiner. So maybe this is a book for the more eclectic and artistic of us, those of us like Ina who have a hard time finding a place where we fit in, or where we don't need to fit. Because I understood the temptation to mold yourself to fit the life offered to you, I probably run the risk of over-rating this novel. In any case, I understood both Ina's struggle as an artist, her guilt of not being satisfied, and I was very empathetic towards her tendency to lose herself in the process of raising her kids. This is a novel that does not trivialize anything about the life of the creative, artistic black woman, and I can't believe I waited so long to read it.

A Good Story

I read this book in one sitting. I sat down just to see what the book was all about, and two football games later... I was done!!! This is a good story about how ordinary people can overcome extraordinary circumstances. Well done Ms. Little!

Candid and Realistic Novel

A good book will cause you to think and feel, and this is the effect that Acting Out has. Benilde Little is an observant writer with a penchant for good, relevant detail. She paints scenes with her words, makes you feel the characters, tempts you to question what you'd do if you were in Ina's situation, the narrator of this novel about a wife who finds herself in a marriage/mommy/woman dilemma. Benilde Little makes you know the character; every emotion that Ina feels, it's as good as yours. If Ina is there, so are you. Some of Ina's feelings are disturbing, or is it that she's just real, honest, able to get in touch with her heart no matter what's inside. In truth, Ina confesses certain feelings that many of us might hide for fear of judgment, for fear of misunderstanding. But if we're honest we can relate to Ina's musings, her regrets and non-satisfaction as a tired and wore-out mom, a disillusioned wife. Her third novel in approximately seven years, Little's absence from fiction has been felt; her return well worth the wait. With its candid revelations and realistic portrayal of family, marriage, and independence, Acting Out triumphs.