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scarlettletters 's review for:
Roots: The Saga of an American Family
by Alex Haley
So, after I finished reading this I looked into the stuff about some of his research and whatnot maybe not being legit, which is disappointing, but it doesn't change the fact that this is a really good book. I was a bit daunted by the size, but it was so engrossing. I liked how in some parts, particularly after Kunta has just been brought to America, it is a bit difficult to tell how time is passing--I imagine that reflects the experience he was trying to describe.
Avery Brooks' narration was amazing. The different voices and tones he did for the different characters made the experience so immersive and I would certainly recommend the audiobook.
Whether or not the events happened as described in the book isn't really important. Haley does an amazing job showing how meaningful oral tradition can be, and that we all come from somewhere. I'm definitely going to try to track down the miniseries at some point.
Oh, and since a lot of my former RPC book club friends are on here, I'll add this. While reading this book (and also watching some movies that took place during slavery, and reading other stuff also), something kinda stands out to me. We all know that white people used the Bible to justify or defend slavery. But what is amazing is that even their misguided efforts couldn't completely warp the message. Many slaves were Christians, and read (or listened to, since reading was verboten) Bible stories. Even though a lot of their knowledge was probably filtered through the lens of white people, especially when literacy was extremely low, it seems that we humans can't completely mask what is there, and what God wants us to see. Just something I've been thinking about.
Avery Brooks' narration was amazing. The different voices and tones he did for the different characters made the experience so immersive and I would certainly recommend the audiobook.
Whether or not the events happened as described in the book isn't really important. Haley does an amazing job showing how meaningful oral tradition can be, and that we all come from somewhere. I'm definitely going to try to track down the miniseries at some point.
Oh, and since a lot of my former RPC book club friends are on here, I'll add this. While reading this book (and also watching some movies that took place during slavery, and reading other stuff also), something kinda stands out to me. We all know that white people used the Bible to justify or defend slavery. But what is amazing is that even their misguided efforts couldn't completely warp the message. Many slaves were Christians, and read (or listened to, since reading was verboten) Bible stories. Even though a lot of their knowledge was probably filtered through the lens of white people, especially when literacy was extremely low, it seems that we humans can't completely mask what is there, and what God wants us to see. Just something I've been thinking about.