DON'T MISS READING ROOTS!. Review on Roots - Alex Haley

ROOTS is a classic book that written in 1976. Alex Haley is the author and Doubleday published it. It has 680 pages. He traces the history of a family whose roots begins Kunta Kinta.

The Novel begins in Gambia in 1750. We are in an African Village where a baby has just been born to one of the Royal Families and the Villagers are celebrating.

Alex Haley tells us the story of the baby growing and the being abducted by Slave Traders, (some of them we black Africans from different Tribes).

He was thrown into the cargo hold of a Slave Ship. He lived with 120 other kidnapped people who were naked and chained together. They ate and slept in that terrible place that was freezing cold. It began to reek as there was no bathroom and they had to use the wooden floor near them to relieve themselves.

The ship finally arrived in the United States, (in 1769). Kunta Kinte, (that was what his name was), was the first person to set foot on the soil on the U.S.A. He was seventeen years old and a slave.

Since he was a large healthy looking young man he was quickly sold at the slave auction. He tried to escape several times but stop after he was caught and a bounty hunter found him. Before returning him to his 'master' he chopped his right foot off. Kunta remained a slave all of his life.

From Kunta we learn about the live of his daughter, (who was his only Child), Kizzy. Kunta Kinte's third generation story is about Kizzy's son Chicken George.

After Chicken George we read about the lives of his children. Through each generation each one has been abuse in every way, (some of the ways I had never heard about until I read this book).

These hardships seem to give the family strength and they pass this strength through the generations. As I read ROOTS I could feel their dignity no matter what was happening, (we call this 'true grit').

Seven generations later the reader is in Arkansas attending the Funeral of an Afro-American Professor. We learn that he has four Children who have various Professions. One is an Assistant Director of the CIA, (Civil Information Agency), an Architect for the U.S.A. Navy, a Teacher and an Author.

I won't have to tell you whom the Author is because towards the end of the book Alex Haley writes about his related to Kunta Kinte.

I also won't tell you about each of the Generations because I believe to enjoy this book you must read it yourself.

ALEX HALEY, (from information in the book):

'Alex Haley was born in Ithaca, New York. His father was a teacher of agriculture. The family moved to the small town of Henning, Tennessee, when Alex Haley was an infant. In Henning Haley heard stories from Cynthia Palme, (his maternal Grandmother), about how she had traced the family genealogy to Haley's great-great-great-great-grandfather, who was an African, called ''Kin-tay'' and brought by slave-ship to America. During WW II Haley enlisted in the Coast Guard as a Mess boy. He joined and worked in the Coast Guard for 20 years and wrote articles as a sideline. The first time he was recognized as a writer was when an article he wrote on Malcolm X appeared in the Readers Digest Magazine. His first book was called 'The Autobiography of Malcolm X'. He became the spokesperson for the Black Muslim Movement, (the Nation of Islam), for two years.

One day Mr. Haley was looking through post-Civil War records in National Archives in Washington, D.C. He found the name of his Great-Grandparents, (on his Mothers side). He became so interested that it took him 11 years to work his way back to his 'roots.' The book has been published in 37 languages,'

SOME THOUGHTS;

If you are interested in the History of the United States during the time of the their Civil War you will enjoy this book and I highly recommend it to you.

In 1977 Arthur Hailey won the National Book Award and a special Pulitzer Prize for this book.

It was also a mini-series on TV and I believe you can by it at your Video Store if you don‘t want to buy the book.

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