Roots
Roots: The Saga of an American Family The Saga of an American Family is a now classic book, written in 1976, by Alex Haley. At 680 pages it is not a quick read, but is a bold and extraordinary book that totally captivates and moves the reader. It is the story of a family, supposedly the authors and traces their history from freedom in Africa, to slavery in the United States and then finally back again to freedom.Born in the southern state of Tennessee, Alex Haley grew up listening to stories about his father, grandfather, and all the generations before them. His grandmother's stories, always began with an African named 'Kintay'', who had been captured by slave catchers in Africa and brought to 'Naplis' in America. When he grew up, Haley decided he wanted to learn more. All he had was the name 'kintay', and a handful of African words passed on from generation to generation. What followed was years of extensive research. From the National Archives to Civil War records, to African linguistic experts.... and finally to Gambia in West Africa where the novel being.Kunta Kinta, was born in Gambia in 1750 to one of the royal families. The rest of the book then chronicles the rich, tragic, and ultimately triumphant history of that
Alex Haley's ''Roots'' is one such book. The story seems to whiz pass them and their lives in a big hurry to get to the conclusion at the funeral of Haley's father. The feelings evoked from that simple event are indicative of the entire book. The transportation of Kunta to the United States is both graphic and unsettling as it tells how he was thrown into the cargo hold of a slave ship where he found himself with 120 other kidnapped people, all naked chained together. Navy, there is a teacher and finally an author, Alex Haley. Seven generations after Kunta Kinta, the reader is in Arkansas attending the funeral of an Afro-American professor. Every event from beginning to end is written with incredible feelings. The hardest portion of the book to digest was the boat trip Kunta took from his homeland to America. History is told through the eyes of these characters that actually walked this earth at one time. Despite minor criticism however, no one should be discouraged from reading this book. While the size of the book is intimidating, the story is fascinating. For example near the end of the book when Bertha says calmly to her family, "Sorry we didn't write. As others gaze on, the blankets are pulled back to reveal a six week old boy, Alex Haley. The pacing of Roots is a bit erratic with extensive portions of the story devoted to Kunta Kinta and his voyage to America.
Common topics in this essay:
Alex Haley,
Kunta Kinta,
Kunta United,
Chicken George,
Abraham Lincoln,
George George,
Alex Haley's,
America Haley's,
Civil War,
Intelligence Agency,
kunta kinta,
alex haley,
finally freedom,
sold slave,
american family,
saga american,
saga american family,
chicken george,
haley's descendants,
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Acceptance Essays
