Roots: The Saga of an American Family
- Downloads：3260
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-04-07 11:24:59
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Alex Haley
- ISBN：B0BTVJH3XF
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
msleighm
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Audiobook。 Book 5 stars， narration by Avery Brooks 5 stars。Sometimes gutting， sometimes beautiful。 Should be mandatory reading for high school students。 I also appreciated Alex Haley's personal information at the end about his research。 Audiobook。 Book 5 stars， narration by Avery Brooks 5 stars。Sometimes gutting， sometimes beautiful。 Should be mandatory reading for high school students。 I also appreciated Alex Haley's personal information at the end about his research。 。。。more
Katherine Jones
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A fascinating and emotional read。 Based on the author’s own family oral history （corroborated by extensive research on his part）。
Kenfer St Rose
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This was a tough read。 But I made it through。 There were many times I actually cried， nonetheless it was a much-needed dive into history for me。 As West Indians， we have always been taught as students of our history - our ancestors from Africa who were brought to the West Indies as slaves to work the sugar plantation。"Roots" has given me a much more detailed view of the journey from Africa。 It was heart-wrenching， but as a people， it's something that we most definitely need to know。As I read on， This was a tough read。 But I made it through。 There were many times I actually cried， nonetheless it was a much-needed dive into history for me。 As West Indians， we have always been taught as students of our history - our ancestors from Africa who were brought to the West Indies as slaves to work the sugar plantation。"Roots" has given me a much more detailed view of the journey from Africa。 It was heart-wrenching， but as a people， it's something that we most definitely need to know。As I read on， this quote from Cicely Tyson's "Just As I Am" came to the forefront of my mind。 “When you know your history， you know your value”。 We as a people need to know our history， so we can understand who we really are and where we come from， and our value。As I said， this was a tough read。 It took me about a week to complete 888 pages， but it was totally worth it。Highly recommended。 。。。more
Rodrigo Marques
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Um dos melhores livros que já li sem sombra de dúvidas。 Conta a genealogia do autor， partindo da vida de um africano que foi escravizado （Kunta Kinte）， arrancado de forma cruel de sua terra natal。 A riqueza de detalhes da cultura das aldeias africanas， costumes e infelizmente a viagem dos escravos atravessando o oceano dentro de um navio negreiro em condições deploráveis até finalmente serem libertos， nos faz refletir e se emocionar。
kayla goggin
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def a case where the cultural value far outweighs the literary value。 it hardly even feels worth it to critique this as a novel so i guess i'll just say haley is a very weak prose stylist and leave it at that。 the moments with a little more shine to them are overshadowed by the knowledge that he admitted to plagiarism。 bummer def a case where the cultural value far outweighs the literary value。 it hardly even feels worth it to critique this as a novel so i guess i'll just say haley is a very weak prose stylist and leave it at that。 the moments with a little more shine to them are overshadowed by the knowledge that he admitted to plagiarism。 bummer 。。。more
Chetan Vashisht
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Although the book is well written， the length is questionable。What bothers me， is the integrity of the Author。 He spends the last chapter explaining his whole research procedure and the difficulties associated with it。He was accused of plagiarism and found guilty。 To this he coldly responds that one of his research assistants got it from somewhere and he never knew about it。 Nowhere in his "research" does he talk about a team。 It's always about his toil and how he did all the work。 I've never fa Although the book is well written， the length is questionable。What bothers me， is the integrity of the Author。 He spends the last chapter explaining his whole research procedure and the difficulties associated with it。He was accused of plagiarism and found guilty。 To this he coldly responds that one of his research assistants got it from somewhere and he never knew about it。 Nowhere in his "research" does he talk about a team。 It's always about his toil and how he did all the work。 I've never faced this kind of an issue while reading a book before。 The reliability of the author messes with your appreciation of the work itself。 。。。more
Rob
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What a marvellously grand， sweeping epic。 I intended to read this book for years， and I’m glad I finally did。 From Kunta Kinte to Kizzy to Tom Murray and more， the characters in this book are just spellbindingly created。 I found myself empathizing with every new lead。 I highly recommend this book。
Anna Snyder
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This is a book that will linger in your mind for a very long time - a paean to the power of storytelling and human resilience。 The sheer volume of research that went into such a detailed and powerfully written book， spanning generations and continents， makes my head spin to think about。。。 It is at parts hilarious and heartwarming， and at the same time painting an unrelenting portrait of both the brutality and the more banal petty cruelties of slavery。Also， I don't think I've been as emotionally This is a book that will linger in your mind for a very long time - a paean to the power of storytelling and human resilience。 The sheer volume of research that went into such a detailed and powerfully written book， spanning generations and continents， makes my head spin to think about。。。 It is at parts hilarious and heartwarming， and at the same time painting an unrelenting portrait of both the brutality and the more banal petty cruelties of slavery。Also， I don't think I've been as emotionally invested in any scene out of any work of literature I've ever read as I was in that rooster fight with Chicken George。This book should be universal recommended reading for all Americans。 。。。more
Melanie Fiore
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Should be required Reading
Brendan
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Despite the apparent plagiarism， this is still an incredible work of fiction if nothing else。Haley writes with such a clear and authentic style。 This sprawling epic never felt dull for a moment and made me think about Africa in another way - goes to illustrate how much that the colonial Africa myth of the uncivilised savage was just so they could sell slavery as a concept to white folk around the world。It really is a master work and inspiration for genealogists of every stripe。
Purity Kwalar
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Absolutely Beautiful 5 Stars！ I read this book in Myanmar translation by Maung Tun Thu。 It is a beautifully written novel that clearly demonstrates about astonishing and amazing African culture and its people at the beginning。 I fell in love with the characters and felt their joys and pains throughout the book。 It is unbelievable how humans can treat other humans horribly。 These inhumane treatments disgust me。 It is sickening that the brutal， cruel， and immoral practices of slavery lasted for hu Absolutely Beautiful 5 Stars！ I read this book in Myanmar translation by Maung Tun Thu。 It is a beautifully written novel that clearly demonstrates about astonishing and amazing African culture and its people at the beginning。 I fell in love with the characters and felt their joys and pains throughout the book。 It is unbelievable how humans can treat other humans horribly。 These inhumane treatments disgust me。 It is sickening that the brutal， cruel， and immoral practices of slavery lasted for hundreds of years with millions of deaths and great sufferings of the Africans。 My heart and thoughts are with Kunta Kinte and everyone who were the victims of slavery in those years。 。。。more
Oliver Jones
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Alex Haley's family epic is everything a novel of its length should be - riveting， powerful， and as brief as possible。 Telling the story of his primary protagonist Kunta Kinte， it is obvious that he is writing for himself， for his ancestors， and for his audience。 Haley manages to convey so much about humanity and its highs and lows through his people and their interactions。 Though the novel seems frustrating by hooking you into someone's life before ripping them apart， it is only by doing so tha Alex Haley's family epic is everything a novel of its length should be - riveting， powerful， and as brief as possible。 Telling the story of his primary protagonist Kunta Kinte， it is obvious that he is writing for himself， for his ancestors， and for his audience。 Haley manages to convey so much about humanity and its highs and lows through his people and their interactions。 Though the novel seems frustrating by hooking you into someone's life before ripping them apart， it is only by doing so that we， the modern readers， are able to understand their plights。 Overall， a well done book and a 4。5/5 for me。 。。。more
Lector45
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Un libro extraordinario en honor a los negros esclavos llevados desde África a los Estados Unidos。 Se trata de un trabajo excepcional， un cuento apasionante y muy didáctico。
George
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3。5 stars。 An interesting， though overly long， historical fiction black family saga spanning over seven generations， beginning in Africa。 The story begins in 1750 with Kunta Kinte， a eighteenth century African。 His African way of life is described in interesting detail and covers the first third of this book。 He is captured by slave traders as an adolescent， sold into slavery and transported to North America。 The book follows Kunta Kinte’s life， his marriage and his children， focusing on his son 3。5 stars。 An interesting， though overly long， historical fiction black family saga spanning over seven generations， beginning in Africa。 The story begins in 1750 with Kunta Kinte， a eighteenth century African。 His African way of life is described in interesting detail and covers the first third of this book。 He is captured by slave traders as an adolescent， sold into slavery and transported to North America。 The book follows Kunta Kinte’s life， his marriage and his children， focusing on his son， Chicken George， who becomes an expert cock fighting trainer for his master。 Then the book describes the life of Tom who becomes a blacksmith and the time of the abolition of slavery in 1865 and the consequences of what being free meant for Chicken George， Tom and their families。An interesting worthwhile reading experience。This book was first published in 1976。 。。。more
Stefania La Lettrice
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Alex Haley con un lavoro certosino è riuscito a ricostruire il suo retaggio che ha reso possibile la sua vita， le sue fattezze e il suo modo di essere。 Questo libro è davvero incredibile， con precisione ci racconta di Kunta l'uomo da cui tutto è iniziato。 La sua esistenza e le sue tradizioni in Gambia （la sua amata patria）， vengono narrate con grande maestria risultando molto interessanti。 So di cosa sono capaci gli esseri umani， questo romanzo lo spiega benissimo ancora una volta， piantando in Alex Haley con un lavoro certosino è riuscito a ricostruire il suo retaggio che ha reso possibile la sua vita， le sue fattezze e il suo modo di essere。 Questo libro è davvero incredibile， con precisione ci racconta di Kunta l'uomo da cui tutto è iniziato。 La sua esistenza e le sue tradizioni in Gambia （la sua amata patria）， vengono narrate con grande maestria risultando molto interessanti。 So di cosa sono capaci gli esseri umani， questo romanzo lo spiega benissimo ancora una volta， piantando in me un senso di colpa profondamente ipocrita e fine a se stesso。 Ma anche questo serve a crescere e capire。 Inoltre ho apprezzato tanto la passione e la costanza con la quale i protagonisti tengono a far conoscere ai loro discendenti le radici dalle quali provengono。 La memoria spezza il cuore， ma è fondamentale per sapere chi siamo stati ma soprattutto chi e che cosa saremo。"（。。。） Poi capì， vagamente， che quel lusso era qualcosa di irreale， una specie di splendido sogno in cui i bianchi si calavano， una menzogna che raccontavano a sé stessi， illudendosi che dal male potesse nascere il bene， che si potesse essere civili fra bianchi e al tempo stesso trattar barbaramente coloro la cui fatica e il cui sangue rendevano possibile la vita di privilegi da essi condotta。"A。H。 。。。more
Olga
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To nie jest może historia， która urzeka od pierwszych stron。 Na początku było topornie。 Dużo trudnych wydarzeń， dużo niesprawiedliwości i frustracji。 Myślę jednak， że książka warta jest wysiłku， bo ta historia coś w czytelniku zostawia。Nacisk postawiony jest na tytułowe korzenie。 Historia Afroamerykanów / niewolnictwa， opowiedziana na przestrzeni pokoleń。 Klasyka literatury。 Książka o poczuciu własnej tożsamości。 Poczuciu dumy z tego kimś się jest， i z tego kogo się miało za przodków， przekazywa To nie jest może historia， która urzeka od pierwszych stron。 Na początku było topornie。 Dużo trudnych wydarzeń， dużo niesprawiedliwości i frustracji。 Myślę jednak， że książka warta jest wysiłku， bo ta historia coś w czytelniku zostawia。Nacisk postawiony jest na tytułowe korzenie。 Historia Afroamerykanów / niewolnictwa， opowiedziana na przestrzeni pokoleń。 Klasyka literatury。 Książka o poczuciu własnej tożsamości。 Poczuciu dumy z tego kimś się jest， i z tego kogo się miało za przodków， przekazywana na dzieci i wnuków， niestety także wraz z nieufnością i traumą。 Wierzenia voodoo， zbiorowe chrzty， walki kogutów， ów specyficzny klimat stanów południowych。 Druga część książki była zdecydowanie ciekawsza。 Zakończenie， niby zwykłe， ale mnie wzruszyło。 Widać jak zło czy dobro， na pozór nieistotne gesty i słowa， nie działają jedynie miejscowo， ale przenikają daleko do przyszłości i doświadczenia wielu osób。 。。。more
Shannon Quinn
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should have been required reading growing upAmazing story about a sad history。 It really should have been required reading like Grapes of Wrath4-4。5 stars - kinda dwindled towards last 1/3
Chevonne
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What an incredible legacy！
Priyavasanthan Pandiyan
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It’s a marathon with 15 hours of listening。 Half way through so far it feels like reader being raised in Africa。 Attention to the detail from Child birth ， elders， agriculture， hunting and war。 Awesome book hope to complete 👍。
Marie
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What is it: Alex Hayley's novelization of his family's oral history。What I liked: Every character felt very real and unique。 I naturally empathized with all of them。 What I didn't like: The writing is very simplistic and at times info-dumpy， but honestly， that is appropriate for the purpose of this book。The takeaway: a moving book; a beautiful portrait of a family's trials and joys over generations。。。 one that made me feel sad and grateful and excited What is it: Alex Hayley's novelization of his family's oral history。What I liked: Every character felt very real and unique。 I naturally empathized with all of them。 What I didn't like: The writing is very simplistic and at times info-dumpy， but honestly， that is appropriate for the purpose of this book。The takeaway: a moving book; a beautiful portrait of a family's trials and joys over generations。。。 one that made me feel sad and grateful and excited 。。。more
Stifynsemons
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3。88 stars， I really liked it， and I think I'll read it again someday。At times， Roots is a very absorbing story， and there are numerous moving scenes。 But these sections sometimes are separated by long and comparatively dry parts。 However， it is well worth the investment of time。What I find especially fascinating is the success of the oral tradition in making and recording the key connections in his ancestry。 For most of my life， I've looked down on oral tradition as primitive。 Yet it is both di 3。88 stars， I really liked it， and I think I'll read it again someday。At times， Roots is a very absorbing story， and there are numerous moving scenes。 But these sections sometimes are separated by long and comparatively dry parts。 However， it is well worth the investment of time。What I find especially fascinating is the success of the oral tradition in making and recording the key connections in his ancestry。 For most of my life， I've looked down on oral tradition as primitive。 Yet it is both difficult to master， valuable to have， and Alex uses the phrase， 'chained to paper' to describe Western culture's means as shackle on the ability of the mind to learn。At the end， the story of his obsessessive pursuit of his ancestry still holds the excitement he felt while researching。 It is an uncommon experience， but it rings true。 。。。more
Paula
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Uno de los mejores libros que he leído。La historia está contada con mucho esmero y cariño。 El autor nos cuentq la historia de 7 generaciones de su familia en un libro de una manera muy interesante。 ¡qué arte tuvo el autor para ligarlo todo！Desafortunadamente esta edición de Bestsellers Planeta está mal impresa， con más de 50 faltas de ortografía， errores en la traducción y erratas。
Suzanne
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This book hit hard。 Tbh the chicken war years went on a little longer than I cared for， but the story is so incredible and the book is so well written。。。 I'm kind of ashamed that I just now read it。 Now I've got to watch Lavar's mini series！ This book hit hard。 Tbh the chicken war years went on a little longer than I cared for， but the story is so incredible and the book is so well written。。。 I'm kind of ashamed that I just now read it。 Now I've got to watch Lavar's mini series！ 。。。more
Kevin
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Having recently watched the 1977 TV mini-series "Roots" for the first time， i decided to read the Alex Haley book upon which it was based for Black History Month。 Because of what Roots attempted to do， and the influence it and the series had， i wanted to give this book more than 3 stars。 But 。 。 no。 The book Roots was billed as a work of history and research when it was first published。 It in fact is a work of historical fiction which is loosely tied into Alex Haley's oral history。 I think that Having recently watched the 1977 TV mini-series "Roots" for the first time， i decided to read the Alex Haley book upon which it was based for Black History Month。 Because of what Roots attempted to do， and the influence it and the series had， i wanted to give this book more than 3 stars。 But 。 。 no。 The book Roots was billed as a work of history and research when it was first published。 It in fact is a work of historical fiction which is loosely tied into Alex Haley's oral history。 I think that its' aims were high， but it falls short。I respect and embrace the many things Roots tried to accomplish。 It gives the reader a raw view into the slave trade of the 18th century and how it brutalized and exploited people。 It gives glimpses into the sophisticated and ordered culture of the African peoples， which were incorrectly portrayed by white Europeans as savage and primitive。 It reminds us of the historical link each of us have to our roots and ancestors。 It gives a glimpse into life in America as a slave， both first generation， and after many generations of slavery。 I suspect that the picture painted does not even come close to actuality， but it nevertheless tries。 All in all， Roots presents an interesting story， and perhaps is representative of many experiences of slavery in America。 But by today's historical research standards， it should probably be considered a work of historical fiction rather than researched history。 The author himself said as much years after it was published， amidst fallout from criticism and even lawsuits related to the contents of the book。It is easy to find critiques and exposés on the internet with some simple searching。 Please search and read if you want to know more。 As a story， this is a good one， but not a great one。 It is probably on par with the level of TV miniseries of the time。 I think that much of the acclaim and awards garnered were due to the breakthrough of this subject matter into the mainstream public consciousness， and I suspect it was controversial at the time （1977）。 But as a book， it is a bit too long， and not well enough written for me to recommend it as a must read。 If you want more details than the series provided， it is a good source。 But read it knowing it is largely historical fiction that is tied to some real history。 Also， related to real history in the book， the method used to "timestamp" the narrative using historical events that were "overheard" or relayed word of mouth as they happened came off as simplistic， unrealistic， and downright annoying by the time the book ended。 I think a better method could have been used to accomplish this。 My $0。02 。。。more
Pamela
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Easily the best and worst book I have ever read。 It should be required reading。
Ashley Todd
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Booklist Queen 2023 Challenge category: by a black author （audiobook）This was long and detailed， but in spite of that， the story was very well-written。 What was more impressive was the amount of research author Alex Haley put in to finding out about his ancestors， tracing their histories through stories he was told as a child， which had been passed down for generations。 Remarkable。
Brit Brit
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Incredible
Raja Selvakumar
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A thought-provoking narrative of a black man's ancestors and their undesired integration into American society。 A thought-provoking narrative of a black man's ancestors and their undesired integration into American society。 。。。more
Camila Valenzuela
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Es un libro que te atrapa desde sus primeras páginas。 Es una historia fascinante y más aún cuando descubres que casi el 90% de la historia es real。 Evidentemente al investigar sobre el árbol genealógico a través de sus páginas， hay algunas historias que nos gustaría tuviese más desarrollo pero es parte de la información que en su momento tuvo el autor。Me fascinó de inicio a fin。
John Herrick
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Heartbreaking in some chapters。 Beautiful in others。 A classic and a rewarding read。
tpg0
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As an AI language model， I don't have personal preferences or opinions。 However， I can provide you with a brief summary of the book。 "Roots: The Saga of an American Family" is a novel written by Alex Haley， published in 1976。 The book tells the story of Haley's African ancestors， from their capture in Africa， through their enslavement in America， and their eventual freedom after the Civil War。 The main character， Kunta Kinte， is introduced in the beginning of the book and is followed through several generations of his family's journey。 The story is based on Haley's research into his own family history， and the book was a bestseller and a Pulitzer Prize winner。 It was also adapted into a popular TV miniseries。 The book explores themes of racism， identity， heritage， and storytelling。
tpg1
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As an AI language model， I am not capable of "liking" or "disliking" things， but I can provide information on the book "Roots: The Saga of an American Family。" "Roots: The Saga of an American Family" is a historical novel by Alex Haley， published in 1976。 The book tells the story of Kunta Kinte， an African man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in America， and his descendants。 The book follows seven generations of Kunta Kinte's family， tracing their journey from enslavement to freedom。 "Roots" is primarily a work of fiction， but it is based on Haley's own family history and extensive research。 The book was a breakthrough in African-American literature， and it helped to spark a national conversation about the legacy of slavery in the United States。 The book was also adapted into a popular mini-series in 1977， which was watched by millions of viewers around the world。 Overall， "Roots" is a powerful and moving exploration of the legacy of slavery in America。 It is a valuable resource for anyone interested in learning more about this important chapter in American history。
tpg2
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