Black Truth News Book Review >>> Alex Haley Roots: An Author’s Odyssey

The book starts in the middle of Alex Haley’s life and at the height of his career. After giving a speech promoting his then ubiquitous book Roots, we find out that Alex Haley was once one of the most famous people in America.  According to the book, the only two people who young Black Americans admired more than Alex Haley at one point; was Muhammad Ali and Stevie Wonder. The descriptive narrative given to the success of Roots the book, and the two television mini-series that followed was an important aspect of getting a grasp of Adam Henig’s book.

I was born a couple of years after the Roots phenomenon; so getting educated on the ‘Genealogy Revolution’ that happened as a result of the book and television series was helpful.  It was also good to get a better understanding of Alex Haley in general. Based on the popularity of The Autobiography of Malcolm X and the reemergence of Malcolm’s doctrines and beliefs from some of those who read his book; we sometimes unfairly attribute those same characteristics to Alex Haley as well.  I think the book did a good job of providing clarity on the life of Alex Haley.

On the other hand, I thought the author did a terrible job of transitioning from the good times in Alex Haley’s life to the bad times. There is no segueing between the pinnacles of Alex Haley’s life to start of his downfall. When you read this part of the book, it feels like you skipped a couple pages.  I read the author’s manuscript, so hopefully a revision would be made before its release date on the 14th of January.  It comes only as an e-book and I recommend that you give it a read when comes out. It is a short and informative book that gives insight on a misunderstood historical figure. 

henigAuthor’s Note: Alex Haley’s Roots is not the traditional life and times hard copy biography. It will be released only as an eBook. At 15,000 words (or 52 printed pages), it is longer than a featured magazine article but shorter than a full-length book.                 Adam Henig

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *