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4.37 AVERAGE
4.37 AVERAGE
This was pretty good. It's amazing what lengths he went to to confirm everything his family had told him about his family. The book is beautifully written and is narrated in such a way that the reader feels not only like they know the characters but that we are in their place.
WOW what an epic read
Makes you want to research your own family and discover why your family do what they do.
Makes you want to research your own family and discover why your family do what they do.
Kunta Kinte will remain forever in your memory after you are finished with this book. Undoubtedly one of the most memorable tales of indomitable spirit. Brilliantly written.
I think I'm just not made for long family sagas like this. Also, I'll admit, the knowledge that a bunch of it was plagiarised really affected my reading of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse
You know, this book started off great, I absolutely loved reading about Kunta Kinte and his villages way of life. The chapters where he was on the slave ship were horrific to read, as was the chapter where he ran away from slavery and got caught and had half his foot chopped off as punishment.
It was after he married Belle , that is where my interest began to wane. By the time Chicken George rolled around I couldn't wait to finish the book so I could start a new one. Once the perspective changed from third person, I gritted my teeth and vowed to finish the book if it killed me.
Knowing what I do now about Alex Haley's plagerism I really find it hard to believe that the village people in Juffare to this day (well when he visited there), tell the story of how Kunta Kinte went out to chop wood and was never seen again.
Whilst reading the book, my biggest gripe was the fact that once Kunta was kidnapped, we heard nada about how his family reacted. I would have liked to have known what happened to them, I was emotionally involved with not only Kinta, but Omoro, Binte and Kunta's siblings. Well this was my biggest gripe until Kizzy got sold to another slave owner. After that the book changes to follow her life. What about Kunta, after all we had been through , his life from the day he was born until his mid fifties, and once Kizzy is gone nada. We never get to find out what happens to him. Did himself and Belle, live happily ever after? Did he ever get his freedom? Would it have killed Alex Haley to include a chapter where Kizzy or even Chicken George find out what happened to Kinte and Belle?
It was after he married Belle , that is where my interest began to wane. By the time Chicken George rolled around I couldn't wait to finish the book so I could start a new one. Once the perspective changed from third person, I gritted my teeth and vowed to finish the book if it killed me.
Knowing what I do now about Alex Haley's plagerism I really find it hard to believe that the village people in Juffare to this day (well when he visited there), tell the story of how Kunta Kinte went out to chop wood and was never seen again.
Whilst reading the book, my biggest gripe was the fact that once Kunta was kidnapped, we heard nada about how his family reacted. I would have liked to have known what happened to them, I was emotionally involved with not only Kinta, but Omoro, Binte and Kunta's siblings. Well this was my biggest gripe until Kizzy got sold to another slave owner. After that the book changes to follow her life. What about Kunta, after all we had been through , his life from the day he was born until his mid fifties, and once Kizzy is gone nada. We never get to find out what happens to him. Did himself and Belle, live happily ever after? Did he ever get his freedom? Would it have killed Alex Haley to include a chapter where Kizzy or even Chicken George find out what happened to Kinte and Belle?
I would recommend this book to everyone. It's a saga but well worth the time!
I picked up this behemoth because my students are watching the 2016 version of the series in their U.S. history class. I must say that I enjoyed the book much more than I thought I would!
The fact that Alex Haley created a narrative based on two hundred years of his own family’s verified oral history is astounding and incredibly powerful
It is a challenge reading about history’s darkest moments. I often don’t know how to review it best, because how do you judge someone’s life experience or their personal history? Roots by Alex Haley is a book I read throughout February with a group of bloggers as part of a read along hosted by Reading Thru The Night. Roots is a fictionalized account of Haley’s family history. There are also allegations of Haley plagiarizing a book called The African, which frankly was something that sat in my mind while reading Roots.
Read the rest of my review here
Read the rest of my review here
It is too bad the last third of this book was an utter train wreck.