Introduction
Growing up in Tennessee with his grandmother Alex Haley would often sit on the porch and listen to her talk about their ancestors and the stories of their lives that were passed down from generation to generation. When Haley was a retired journalist he decided to research his families history and find the documentation to back up his family’s stories. After verifying all the facts that he could and discovering additional information he shared his findings by telling their story with the world in his bestselling book “Roots”.
About the Author
October 12, 1921-February 10, 1992
Alex Haley was born on October 12, 1921, in Ithaca, New York, and raised in Henning, Tennessee. At the age of 17 he left college and enrolled in the Coast Guard, where he later became an editor of the official Coast Guard publication, The Outpost. After leaving the Coast Guard in 1959, Haley became a freelance writer for many popular magazines. His first major work was The Autobiography of Malcolm X which was published in 1965. After the success of Malcolm X Haley went on to write Roots: The Saga of an American Family, which was to become he most notable work. Roots was about Haley’s maternal ancestry going back to his African roots to Kunta Kinte who was stolen from his village by slave traders. Later, Haley also wrote about his paternal ancestry in the book Queen: The Story of an American Family.
Major Works by Alex Haley
If You Enjoyed Roots You Might Also Enjoy
Books About Slavery
Family Sagas
My Review
It was hard to imagine Alex Haley taking the stories he heard his family telling on the front porch of his Tennessee home and turning them into an extensive research project and then a bestselling book about the generations of his family beginning with Kunte Kinte growing up in a small village in Africa and ending with his own life and the writing of the book. Roots is a wonderfully descriptive story written about characters that carry the reader on an amazing journey through American history. The stories are uplifting and heartbreaking, which gives this 729 page leisurely read a nice even flow. After reading the book I found that Alex Haley had a number of suits for plagiarism brought against him, which he settled. Haley was also shown to have falsified some of his research. For readers looking for a nonfiction book about a family’s history the plagiarism and falsification could be a turn off, but others this may not be an issue.
Other Reviews
