Roots (Media tie-in): The Saga of an American Family

Must read….

Ótimo produto, apenas a Amazon que poderia ter embalado melhor o livro, veio apenas no saco tradicional com bolha e estragou um dos cantos, é uma viagem longa.

L'ayant lu en français avec un grand intérêt, je l'ai offert en anglais et le lirai moi-même en version originale.

A book you must read. The author’s words flowing like a smooth river into your minds. Thoroughly enjoyed.

I got caught by the story when as I child I had watched a quite famous TV series, and the earliest opportunity I wanted to read also the book. The book tells us the story of a young African boy Kunta Kinte. He was born in Gambia (West Africa) in the middle of 18th century and he is just 17 when he's taken by slave-drivers and brought to America on one of those dreadful ships you could find so frequently on that route in the period. Once arrived he's sold to a cotton plantation owner. From that point on, Kunta story goes through a series of terrible events: the humiliation of getting a new name (Toby), the overall nullification of its own identity and then physical pain: a foot cut away after an escape attempt, the whipping. Despite the ordeal, Kunta stands out and tries to resist: he doesn't answer to the name the have given him, and speaks by himself in his own language, and when he finds some respite in the marriage with another slave and in the birth of his daughter Kizzy, he tries to pass on his story to his little girl. He goes around the plantation telling the child the name of the things he sees around in his own language. And little Kizzy learns and when she's separated by her family as a punishment for having helped a fugitive slave, it will will her turn to pass on to her child the same stories her father had taught her. And as the family grows, each new child is told the story of an African boy called Kunta Kinte. And so generation through generation the story of Kunta Kinte arrives to one of his great-great-grandchildren: Alex Haley the author. He's always listened to the stories of his family told by his grandparents and great-uncles. And having started a career as a writer, he begin his research, based on just the few words passed on in the family. His journey will lead him to Africa where with the help of a "Griot" (an old sage knowledgeable about the history of the country/village/families) he manages finally to track back the origin of Kunta Kinte. I particularly loved the pages describing Kunta's life before his capture. The reconstruction is very detailed and accurate and it really looks like you're there in the middle of the village watching Kunta and his friends running around. And it's incredible how the pages talk to the reader about Kunta's feelings. You really can feel the range of sentiments running through Kunta (from joy to despair) and your heart goes to that poor boy. But what I found most striking is the force that over the years kept the family linked to their origin, like a light in the darkness. The family history is always there guiding the future generations as they find their own way through life and from that history they get the strength to move ahead: a powerful message!

non avevo mai letto il libro anche se avevo a suo tempo visto qualche puntata della serie televisiva. sono quasi 900 pagine e mi sono un po' spaventata ma in pochi giorni sono riuscita a leggerlo tutto, veramente una saga appassionante e crudele, ancora molto vera e illuminante per capire il rapporto tra bianchi e neri d'America.