ROOTS

ROOTS: The Saga of an American Family (1976) was published after African American writer Alex Haley (1921– 1992) spent twelve years researching his ancestry. Blending fact and fiction, Roots has been both widely heralded and fiercely criticized.

Most praise has concerned the way the book and, more importantly, the 1977 television miniseries, raised African Americans' consciousness of their heritage. Many African Americans who read the book or viewed the film experienced a new sense of pride in their ancestry and were inspired to compile their own genealogies. Consciousness was similarly raised among white Americans, particularly by the film's graphic scenes of the hardships and violence endured by slaves.

Criticism, however, has dominated recent decades' consideration of the work. Haley's biases are evident in his unfailingly noble and strong African characters; conversely, whites are virtually always portrayed as weak, foolish, and/or evil. Haley's historical scholarship is open to a number of attacks, as when he depicts Kunta Kinte enslaved on a cotton plantation in Virginia—a state that had virtually no cotton culture. Haley's writing style and the book's structure are both lackluster and, at times, amateurish.

Little scholarly or critical attention has been given to Roots. Its primary value has derived from its work as a cultural artifact rather than from any literary or historical merit.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Shirley, David. Alex Haley. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1994.

Barbara SchwarzWachal