| Roots |  | Author: Alex Haley
Publisher: Hutchinson
Category: Book
Used (13) from £2.92
Avg. Customer Rating:  22 reviews
Sales Rank: 516932
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 688
ISBN: 0091296803
EAN: 9780091296803
ASIN: 0091296803
Publication Date: July 1, 1977
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| Customer Reviews: Read 17 more reviews...
 A modern classic. December 8, 2008
I really enjoyed reading roots and it is a rarity that a book stays with me but this one takes up as much time in your thoughts as it does siting in front of the pages. Slavery is a complex issue but nothing will ever forgive the stealing of African people and their treatment. As the book shows some of the white keepers were good kind people and treated the slaves well. The slaves were well fed and although hard working lived well compared to the free slaves up north and the poor white folk. So the question is what is freedom worth?
This book would have a got a five except huge parts of the first two hundred pages were plagarised. Pity as I am sure Mr. Haley could have done as good a job himself.
A must read August 13, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is a superbly written book which graphically details the horrors of slavery & the courage of those subjected to those horrors.
This really is a "must read" book, the story it tells captures the whole range of human emotion from hate to love, fear to courage, feeling just jumps out of every page.
It is quite a hefty book but once you pick it up you will find it very difficult to put down. This is a tremendous work & is a real journey through the lives of some extremely special people.As I say, for me, a real must have, must read book, it really is an incredible work.
A true historical masterpiece marked by a genius June 29, 2007
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Ever since I was little I saw the book laying on my parents small make-shaft book shelf and time to time I would look at the exterior and the size of the book with awe. One day a friend of mine brought this book back to my attention and I'd purchase it at my local book store. Alex Haley's 'Roots' is fantastic. It captures generations of love, tears, pain, strife, sacrifice, as well as happiness engulf close to 700-something pages.
I found myself getting so involved and moved by the characters' stories that I often had to put the book down and there were parts in there that just broke my heart and I swore I didn't want to read it anymore but instead it took me in further. Throughout the entire book I observed a repeating pattern of events that allow me to think about how for generations a family could hold on to their faith, beliefs, and traditions no matter what. Also, throughout this long life-span journey of Kunta Kinte and his proceeding family tree, and their experiences with the opposing lives of free-men and slaves, the author presents a precise central idea or opinion that is past down from generation to generation.
This central idea is so clearly emphasized by the title of the book. Alex Haley's opinion on the importance of a family or individuals roots or origins is much similar to the necessity of roots for the survival of plants; that provide anchoring and support. Not only did Haley believe that roots played a key roll in his life and the life of his entire family tree, but that in some cases it is the only noble aspect of life that one could be proud of, as it determines his identity.
I am totally supportive of the author's opinion, as us human beings sometimes are stripped away from our natural and civil rights and are left with nothing to hold on to but the spiritual and historical pragmatic aspects of life: roots, origins, faith, and religion. I love the style it was written with and the determination it instills not only to me but to anyone who reads it. Since this book is a classic, it has withstood the test of time. If you have a lot of time on your hands, I would recommend this book highly.
Takes you back in another dimension March 20, 2007
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
This book already has more than a dozen of reviews .So what is one more ?Well,So much is the power of this book .
This book is different .. It will haunt you . You won't be able to leave this book in half.Nor will you be peaceful for few days after reading it .So is the power of this book .. you are drawn in the characters and really deeply touched by them ..
But it will teach you something you'll never forget.
This book changed my thoughts ..
People have already written about historical , literary aspects of this book and i agree with them this is a masterpiece !!
I want to mention this rather small thing that struck me ,
This family has rather informal way of passing information to generations after generations ..Telling each new born stories about his dad , grand father and indirectly keeping the ROOTS ALIVE ...giving them something to treasure
I thought to myself , what will I be passing to my kids , and what will they tell their kids and so on ..will my family members down few generations remember somethings about me our times ?
You have to have to read this ,no matter whether you are black brown or white .
A Modern Classic with Contemporary Relevance November 25, 2006
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
Nearly 30 years ago as a young child I watched the television series Roots. I recall it still not least because it was the first programme I ever saw which made me cry and angry at the same time. I didn't know it then, but it would be the start of a lifelong interest in the Civil Rights struggle and yet ironically I never did get round to reading the book on which those landmark programmes were based. Recently I remedied that omission and was hooked from the first page on this saga of six generations of African Americans struggling against the despicable evils of slavery whilst striving to remain in contact with their ancestral heritage beginning with Kunta Kinte the proud Gambian sold into bondage after his capture in the late 1760's. It is a story which the page: Chicken George the colourful cockfighting trainer to the creative and serious Tom the blacksmith and overshadowing them all Kunta himself always unapologetically African and never losing his longing to be free.
Don't be misled by the harrowing subject: this in an engrossing story with many memorable and exciting passages: the account of the conditions on a transatlantic slave ship is unforgettable whilst Haley's account of life in Kunta Kinte's Gambian village is utterly fascinating and vital to the book's impact in that highlights an alternative non Western culture with complex values, traditions and belief systems of which the white Slavers are entirely ignorant, a very convenient ignorance of course when you want to exploit and dehumanise a people. Yet alongside this suffering there are humour, warmth, and incident aplenty reminding us of the resilience and resource of the human spirit even under crippling injustice. Consequently the complex relationships which developed between the races are explored as is the especially raw deal black women received not only from their white masters but also their own men folk. Those who know their history of the American South in the twentieth century will find much that sheds light on the origins of Jim Crow, but for all this is a book to cherish.
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