Roots

There is something about history that I find very interesting. I've been studying it for years and have read about many centuries and still haven't gotten tired of it. Perhaps it's the mysteries of long ago eras, where the norm was so much different than today, or maybe it's the sheer elegance found in the pages of history. Many things make the study of history exciting, but I think the most interesting part of history is the people who lived in it. History is full of people who lived very interesting lives, they are remembered throughout the ages. But what's most intriguing is the realization that these faces of history were real people. They lived the lives that were normal to them and were as human as anyone. Sometimes you can trace these faces of history all the way down to today, history transcending time to become real. I recently read a book that did exactly this; it linked generations of history together as one narrative. It was called Roots by Alex Haley. 

When Kunta Kinte was a young man, he never would have guessed that he would be the patron of a long family line. Growing up in Africa, his only thought was to gain the favor of his father and grow into a revered man. Then one day his whole world, including his plans, was shattered. While out walking alone, Kunta was jumped, bound, and kidnapped by white slave traders who, with no regard for the young man's life, placed him on a ship heading to America. Once there, Kunta had to rebuild his life and adapt to a future he hadn't expected or wanted. While he wouldn't live to see its far reaching effects, Kunta's capture turned into something good; he would start a family that would travel down through the ages. His family would see the good and the bad and live through the greatest upheavals in American history. The family would see America, break apart, and then rebuild itself, and its members would build themselves up with it. They would be a true American family, proud, loyal, and always free.

Before I critique this book, I want to make it known that I really wanted to like it. I was expecting to put it on my list of good books. But, sadly, this book just couldn't make the leap to the good side of literature because, Roots makes some critical mistakes that caused me to dislike it. Roots is one of the longest books I've read, and it's also frightfully boring. It started out with the promise of introducing us to Kunta, a likable character who really grows as a person over the course of the story. But by the time his part of the story ends, the book is half over and the other seven generations of Kunta's family aren't even born yet. Roots spends too much time on a few character arcs and has to graze over the rest, creating a weird pacing that throws the reader off. By the end of the book the author had breezed past so many generations that I found it hard to feel connected to the characters anymore. In addition, the book head-hops between characters, in the middle of a chapters, so much that I had a difficult time keeping track of who was talking or thinking. Finally, while this book is very detailed, there are parts that are described in detail that should be left to the imagination. I would also caution parents before a child reads this and only recommend it to high school and older. It could have been a great book and some people may still like it. But I feel that Roots tried to do too much at once and ended up creating more of a mess than a complex story.


*****
RJ

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