About this title: An historical narrative of slavery in the American South. Based upon actual researches conducted over a period of years, Haley reconstructs the events that led to the enslavement of Kunte Kinte, the "African" identified in Haley's family lore as their founding father, and his settlement on American shores. Kinte, in his own history, becomes an allegory of the history of the millions of Africans brought forcibly to America, and of the people they became in the intervening years.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Edition: First Edition
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Doubleday & Company, Garden City, New York
Date Published: 1976
Description: Good. No Jacket. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. 688 pages. Blue boards with beige spine covering show some wear at edges and staining. Some tanning and staining to page edges. Text is very nice. Printed by Berryville Graphics. A condensed version of a portion of this work first appeared in Reader's Digest in 1974. read more
Edition: Book Club Edition.
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Doubleday
Date Published: 1976
Description: Good in fair dust jacket. jacket tattered, front flap and front cover unattached; copy has general wear, tearing at spine, mottling of page blocks, stained flyleaves; text and binding firm. 688 p. read more
"Before reading this book I never had much care for reading. I read the Readers Digest condensed version but had to wait a month as they had it in two parts. I ordered the book on a pre-published basis and received it about 8 months after the order. In fact they must have been under some pressure to ship them because mine has the cover bound backwards. I read this great work 3 times and also am familiar with the shortage of financing Mr. Haley needed to finish it and I suspect that approximately the last twenty-five percent of the book was completed by ghost writers because it seems that the style of writing changed and also the last few chapters are much shorter and lack the depth of detail so prominent and well defined in the rest of the book.
This book changed my life in many ways and I think it would change anyone's who read it. As for the television mini-series basewd on the book.....I found it insulting."
"For all that is said about this book, let me add and endorse: If you care about families, if you care about social evolution, if you care about history, if you care about the benefit of knowing where you came from as an inspiration to where you shall choose to go, make sure you read this book. Famous as it is, it is embarrassing how few people have actually read it."
"I appreciate the author's research of his own roots and the overall message this book has. The problem I had (and it's big enough for me to give this two stars instead of four it could have got) with it was that the writing style was uninteresting. It wasn't bad but it made the characters too two-dimensional for me to enjoy the story overall. They were all empty and I couldn't cheer for them or feel for them. But I understand why the book is important to some and why it has the position it has, I just didn't notice the literary value it supposedly has."
"I think I read this book about when I was 9. It was summer and it was on my parents shelf so I picked it up to read. I LOVED IT! Even at such a young age. I remember it took me a while to finish but it was compelling, so I kept reading (it's 900 pgs). I think reading the vivid imagery of the slave trade and their treatment was one thing that helped me develop a lot of compassion -- I CARE so much (ok probably too much) about those who've been wronged. And WOW did it open my eyes!! After reading this I went on a black history kick where I almost read everything I could about MLK Jr & Malcolm X. Interesting stage for a 10-year-old suburban white girl in Idaho to go through :-). Anyway, read it -- because it's better than the miniseries. And because of the whole family connection/ancestry thing, too."
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