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Book Review of Roots

Roots
Roots
Author: Alex Haley
Genre: Biographies & Memoirs
Book Type: Paperback
SouthernDestiny avatar reviewed on + 156 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2


It begins with a child's birth in Africa. His parents name him Kunta Kinte, a strong, proud boy who later in life is kidnapped and taken to America to be sold into slavery. Roots follows his clan through seven generations, ending with Alex Haley himself. The book tells, in fascinating detail, the lives of Kunta Kinte, Kizzy Waller, "Chicken George" Lea, Tom Murray, Will Palmer, Simon Alexander Haley, and finally, the author. Throughout the book, African culture, as well as the culture of Americanized slaves, is introduced. One part of the book that especially grabbed my attention is a vivid, heart-wrenching description of the Middle Passage, describing the horrors that Africans experience on their trip into bondage.