Customer Reviews

Alex Haley: The Man Who Traced America's Roots: His Life, His Works

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With an introduction by Lawrence Otis Graham, ALEX HALEY: The Man Who Traced America's ROOTS celebrates the 30-year anniversary of Roots. The book focuses on Haley and some of his greatest acomplishments, how he started writing, and obstacles he faced and witnessed of others. It features four major areas: Stories of Triumph, Race and Resilence, The Search Begins, and The Legacy, and each story is more inspiring than the one before it.

I had many favorites from the book, but among those which will stick with me is George Haley's preservance during his time at the University of Arkansas School of Law, in spite of the racial slurs, hate mail, being segregated from the white students, and his secluded basement room. It saddened me to read what he endured, but the end brought about a sense of pride at his accomplishments. I also enjoyed reading about how Roots came to be and the extra steps taken by Haley to simulate the hardship of the characters in the book. It was interesting to read about his search for his roots and how the book became to mean so much to not only him, but to his family.

ALEX HALEY: The Man Who Traced America's ROOTS is an amazing collection of the original works of Alex Haley and should be considered a major asset to the library of booklovers everywhere. Many people have heard of Roots and the impact it had on race relations, but this book goes so much further. It emphasizes more of Haley's thoughts on many issues such as family, race, status, and also his own personal highs and lows. The DVD included with actual portions of his speeches and interviews makes this a great gift and collector's item.

Reviewed by Tee C. Royal
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

As a historian I have always been interested in the big question: Why? Alex Haley has been the cornerstone writer for African-American Literature with his books Roots and Malcolm X. This book, compiled by Reader's Digest, provides the inspiration for his work. The reasoning behind his work is illuminated by the stories that inspired him and hence, the "why" is found.

The book begins with a concise collection of the stories that inspires with its accounts of accomplishment and tribulations of the African-American communities. These short tales of Singers and Athletes which proved that color of your skin matters little to any gifts humans can posses. These stories, from the 1960's and 70's from Reader's Digest that Alex Haley wrote, show the accomplishments of a truly American community.

Mid twentieth century America was by far the most trying in the fight for civil rights. The center section of the book covers Haley's Reader's Digest stories on issues of ethnicity. In this section he writes on the Nation of Islam (the beginning of his work on Malcolm X) and the struggles of African-Americans who are trying to integrate into a segregated society. He focuses on both education and work opportunities. His words inspire hope and plea for understanding in a trying and divided world. The section on the Nation of Islam is especially captivating with its message of understanding and integration to avoid raciest and violent groups.

The book then moves on to Haley's stories of the slave trade: what happened, who was involved, and his own family's struggle. These stories from the 70's, 80's, and 90's show the actual base stories for his work on ROOTS.

Going back to my question of why- his short story "My Search for Roots" follows his trek back to the Dark Continent where he has the emotional experience of what his ancestor's went through. This trip was clearly his catalyst, and his continuation from there was the book ROOTS.

This brings us to the last couple of stories in this collection. This section contains The Reader's Digest version of ROOTS and Haley's own reflection on the story and the meaning it has brought to him and countless others. Most people simply read books because the back cover sounds good, but for those few who care about where the author and his style is coming from will truly enjoy this collection by Alex Haley.

I was very impressed with the manner in which the book is written. Very detailed and thorough in giving details of events as they unfolded, all from his imagination. I felt the intensity and pain as MR. Hailey shared experiences, both personal and those of his ancestors. The most intriguing part is the revelation of his path that led him to the most profound documentary I have ever viewed. The book accompanied me on a trip and was just enough for me to read during my flight. However, I did feel that I could have used a bit more after completing the book.
Great Work!

My only comment is, more, there should have been more. Alex Haley wrote about his family and there will never be another story to top that, but I wish there was more to the story of how, when, why and where Mr. Haley put the story on paper, the actual research into the search would also make for fascinating reading.