content: I first read Roots in 1977 and, after watching the tv series, I knew that I needed to re-read it. Without the horror of slavery (free, lifetime labor with no chance of escape), I don't believe American would have evolved into the superpower that it is. It's a well written account of Alex Haley's family tree starting in Africa with the capture of his 6th generation grandfather @ the age of 17-"rains" (years). The African tribes lived in strong, deeply religious communities, whose survival depended on their interdependence on each other. The unspeakable horrors began when thousands upon thousands of Africans (men, women, and children) were kidnapped and shipped all over the globe to work as slaves for their masters. This is a book not only about slavery's inhumanity but, perhaps more importantly, about the need for us to respect and connect with each other and with all life on Earth.