steven

To start and to be fair, I did not finish the book. I gave up on this one a little past the half-way point and I usually am a trooper when it comes to audio books. The narator does a good job but doesn't have much to work with. There are detailed, exhaustive descriptions of the animals and plant life that the characters encounter and in this sense, the writing is eloquent, accurate, and abundant. However, the book is extremely light on any kind of storyline that remotely makes the book interesting or worth the read. This is a book that a teacher might assign to a 5th grade class with the goal of expanding their vocabulary and improving their descriptive writing. Unless you've been assigned to read this book, keep looking.

Avery Brooks' performance of Roots is impeccable! The characters, writing style and story line alone make this book a classic but this is one of those rare instances where the narrator takes an outstanding book and makes it even better. In retrospect, the book starts fairly slow in following Kunta Kinte's life as The African in his day-to-day activities on his native soil. However, you will find that once past this slow start the book builds into a literary crescendo that culminates with a perfect ending that wraps a nice bow around the entire story. If you've ever entertained even a notion of starting a genealogy study to trace your own roots, this book will inspire you to make it a reality. The story transcends time by seamlessly following the generations of people that follow The African and their resolve to never forget their origin.