Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.36 AVERAGE
4.36 AVERAGE
Reading Roots and it has been an emotional journey for me. I pushed through with this book since I couldn't watch the Hulu series. I think for me, throughout this process I have experienced three main emotions.
I had the realization as I was reading that slavery books are triggering for me. Reading about the atrocities of slavery and reliving the moment activates a feeling deep inside of me, one that seems connected to my ancestors.
The second feeling is this tremendous sense of guilt. Have you heard of white guilt? I think I have that in terms of slavery as a black person. I feel guilty for things outside of my control that happened so long ago that I am having a hard time coming to terms that I benefited from slavery.
The last feeling I had was an overwhelming sense of wanting to connect with African roots, but I also feel conflicted about that. Who am I to claim a culture when I’m unsure of which one to claim? It’s one thing to claim something, but it’s another thing to be claimed.
I had the realization as I was reading that slavery books are triggering for me. Reading about the atrocities of slavery and reliving the moment activates a feeling deep inside of me, one that seems connected to my ancestors.
The second feeling is this tremendous sense of guilt. Have you heard of white guilt? I think I have that in terms of slavery as a black person. I feel guilty for things outside of my control that happened so long ago that I am having a hard time coming to terms that I benefited from slavery.
The last feeling I had was an overwhelming sense of wanting to connect with African roots, but I also feel conflicted about that. Who am I to claim a culture when I’m unsure of which one to claim? It’s one thing to claim something, but it’s another thing to be claimed.
I listened to this on Audio book, and DNFd after a couple of hours. It felt more like"here's a history lesson with names, to try to make it more interesting" and I just found it dragging and tedious. I might try again later, but maybe this book was just of it's time, and there are more contemporary novels that address the topics in a more dynamic way.
I grew up in a home where my parents forced me to watch this made for television saga every time it aired for a few days on prime time television over 2-3 days. I despised being forced to watch stuff that could, would, and definitely succeded in traumatizing me. Now that I am older I have a better understanding of why my parents exposed me to the things that they did. Today I feel so accomplished that I read it cover to cover to experience the story more in-depth with new eyes. I want to seek out the original movie to watch again, then move onto reading Queen!
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
An absolutely gorgeous, yet incredibly difficult story. This has been on my list for such a long time—Roots so clearly defines the black history of the United States, and it looms so largely in the memory of every black person of a certain age I’ve ever spoken to. That Haley’s family story was passed through so many generations is remarkable, and despite the questions about the griot potentially being influenced to “remember” Kunta Kinte’s origins, the stunning amount of research, time, and care that was taken to corroborate so many generations’ stories is astounding. Haley’s novelization of his ancestors’ lives, thoughts, and conversations was beautiful, heartbreaking writing. Despite feeling very well informed about the horrific institution of American slavery, this book taught me so much, and added brutal detail to what I already knew. This should be required reading, or listening. The narrator was fantastic. I am looking forward to watching the TV series next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Rape, Slavery, Vomit, Kidnapping
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Listened to it as part of my “things I said I read in high school but actually barely skimmed” repentance. Like most multi-generational epics, the ending feels rushed, but the stories and relationships between the family members are compelling and strong. At its weakest/most contrived when talking about major historial moments in US history.