"He had heard many a whispering of cooks and maids grinning and bowing as they served food containing some of their own bodily wastes. And he had heard of white folks' meals containing bits of ground glass, or arsenic, or other poisons. He had even heard stories about white babies going into mysterious fatal comas without any trace of the darning needle that had been thrust by housemaids into their soft heads where the hair was thickest"
Alex Haley spent most of his writing career in New York. Prior to the publication of Roots he was best known for The Autobiography of Malcolm X, a nonfiction "autobiography" which Haley ghostwrote after interviewing the prominent black leader. He died in 1992 at the age of 71.
The plot of Roots follows several generations of a single family. It begins with the patriarch's life in west Africa, and from there progresses to his enslavement and escape attempts in colonial America, his daughter's life on another plantation, and his grandson's and great-grandson's travails in the South up to the Civil War. The book concludes with several short chapters leading up to the present day, wherein the author recounts personal events that led up to the writing of this book.
Compared to other books I've read recently, Haley's prose is very direct and to the point. He delves deeply into the world he describes, going into great detail as to how his characters eat, drink, make merry, and survive in the face of nearly constant physical and mental abuse. His characters' actions always make sense, and consequences, however surprising or dramatic, always follow naturally from the choices made by individuals.
One thing that impressed me about this book is how it deals with time. It moves from Gambia in the late 1700s to the present day without missing a beat. It does so, moreover, while switching between several protagonists, and also without resorting to sections as a way of compartmentalizing time periods. Despite its vast scope it feels like a single narrative. It's the kind of book people don't write anymore, often out of a misguided desire to appear "modern."
The above said, I'd be remiss if I didn't point out the two major criticisms leveled at this book, these being plagiarism and a lack of historical accuracy.
On the count of plagiarism Haley was undeniably guilty. After the publication of Roots he was sued by two people accusing him of plagiarism, and even though one of these suits was dismissed the other was judged in favor of the plaintiff. Harold Courlander, anthropologist and author of The African, alleged that Haley had copied parts of his book into Roots. Haley later admitted that he had done so, and Mr. Courlander was awarded what, at the time, was a great deal of money.
The other major criticism of Roots is whether or not it's historically accurate. This only matters because Haley touted it as the history of his family, and not as a work of pure fiction. It's impossible to know for sure, but it now seems likely that Haley was mistaken about where Kunta Kinte came from, and that details regarding his family's history were not in fact based on historical records.
In my opinion this second criticism isn't as serious as the charge of plagiarism. Haley probably did alter certain bits of family history to suit the story he was telling, but in a book this size that's not surprising. Plagiarism is certainly an issue, but I don't think that Alex Haley's great-grandfather being alive in 1864 has much to do with the story's larger relevance.
I enjoyed Roots a great deal, and I'd recommend it without reservation. It offers an interesting look at American history, and it will enhance your understanding of the shadow slavery has cast over American culture.
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