Alex Haley's Roots: An Author's Odyssey
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Narrated by:
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Mark Westfield
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By:
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Adam Henig
About this listen
In 1977, when the New York Times declared that the television mini-series Roots was the "most significant civil rights event since the Selma-to-Montgomery march of 1965," its author, Alex Haley became America's newest "folk hero". His book was on the New York Times best seller list for months and won the Pulitzer Prize. His story had captivated a nation and then the world. From Idaho to Israel, it seemed everyone was caught-up in "Rootsmania." Alex Haley was on his way to becoming the most successful author in the history of publishing. That's when his troubles began.
Within a decade and a half following the publication of Roots, Haley managed to alienate most of his fellow writers and at the same time squander most of his wealth. When he died at the age of 70, his estate was auctioned off and his iconic book went out of print. What happened?
Based on interviews of Haley's contemporaries, personal correspondence, legal documents and newspaper accounts, Adam Henig investigates the unraveling of one of America's most successful yet enigmatic authors.
©2014 Adam Henig (P)2014 Adam HenigListeners also enjoyed...
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- Length: 13 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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It's 1963, and Detroit is on top of the world. The city's leaders are among the most visionary in America. It was the American auto makers' best year; the revolution in music and politics was underway. Walter Reuther's UAW had helped lift the middle class. Once in a Great City shows that the shadows of collapse were evident even then. Yet so much of what Detroit gave America lasts.
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Great read
- By Jordanel on 01-02-16
By: David Maraniss
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Inside Scientology
- The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion
- By: Janet Reitman
- Narrated by: Stephen Hoye
- Length: 15 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Scientology, created in 1954 by a prolific sci-fi writer named L. Ron Hubbard, claims to be the world's fastest-growing religion, with millions of members around the world and huge financial holdings. Its celebrity believers keep its profile high, and its teams of "volunteer ministers" offer aid at disaster sites such as Haiti and the World Trade Center. But Scientology is also a notably closed faith, harassing journalists and others through litigation and intimidation, even infiltrating the highest levels of government to further its goals.
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My cup of tea.
- By MWMcCabe on 08-09-11
By: Janet Reitman
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Trailblazer
- A Pioneering Journalist's Fight to Make the Media Look More Like America
- By: Dorothy Butler Gilliam
- Narrated by: January LaVoy
- Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Dorothy Butler Gilliam, whose 50-year-career as a journalist put her in the forefront of the fight for social justice, offers a comprehensive view of racial relations and the media in the US.
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Struggled to finish
- By SL41639 on 04-06-20
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Guest of Honor
- Booker T. Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, and the White House Dinner that Shocked a Nation
- By: Deborah Davis
- Narrated by: Karen White
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt invited Booker T. Washington to have dinner at the executive mansion with the First Family. The next morning, news that the president had dined with a Black man-and former slave-sent shock waves through the nation. Although African Americans had helped build the White House and had worked for most of the presidents, not a single one had ever been invited to dine there. Fueled by inflammatory newspaper articles, political cartoons, and even vulgar songs, the scandal escalated.
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Great So
- By Maureen Monahan on 04-11-21
By: Deborah Davis
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Taking on the Trust
- The Epic Battle of Ida Tarbell and John D. Rockefeller
- By: Steve Weinberg
- Narrated by: Pam Ward
- Length: 11 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Long before the rise of mega-corporations like Wal-Mart and Microsoft, Standard Oil controlled the oil industry with a monopolistic force unprecedented in American business history. Undaunted by the ruthless power of its owner, John D. Rockefeller, a fearless and ambitious reporter named Ida Minerva Tarbell confronted the company known simply as "The Trust".
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Annoying Narrator
- By Nate on 04-03-15
By: Steve Weinberg
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Spectacle
- The Astonishing Life of Ota Benga
- By: Pamela Newkirk
- Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
- Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1904 Ota Benga, a young Congolese "pygmy" - a person of petite stature - arrived from central Africa and was featured in an anthropology exhibit at the St. Louis World's Fair. Two years later the New York Zoological Gardens displayed him in its Monkey House, caging the slight 103-pound, 4-foot 11-inch tall man with an orangutan. The attraction became an international sensation, drawing thousands of New Yorkers and commanding headlines across the nation and in Europe.
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hard pass
- By savvy shopper on 02-26-19
By: Pamela Newkirk
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One Summer
- America, 1927
- By: Bill Bryson
- Narrated by: Bill Bryson
- Length: 17 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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One of the most admired nonfiction writers of our time retells the story of one truly fabulous year in the life of his native country - a fascinating and gripping narrative featuring such outsized American heroes as Charles Lindbergh, Babe Ruth, and yes Herbert Hoover, and a gallery of criminals (Al Capone), eccentrics (Shipwreck Kelly), and close-mouthed politicians (Calvin Coolidge). It was the year Americans attempted and accomplished outsized things and came of age in a big, brawling manner. What a country. What a summer. And what a writer to bring it all so vividly alive.
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Why 1927?
- By Mark on 10-18-13
By: Bill Bryson
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Outlaw Marriages
- The Hidden Histories of Fifteen Extraordinary Same-Sex Couples
- By: Rodger Streitmatter
- Narrated by: Christopher Hurt
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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For more than a century before gay marriage became a hot-button political issue, same-sex unions flourished in America. Pairs of men and pairs of women joined together in committed unions, standing by each other "for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health" for periods of 30 or 40 - sometimes as many as 50 - years. In short, they loved and supported each other every bit as much as any husband and wife. In Outlaw Marriages, cultural historian Rodger Streitmatter reveals how some of these unions didn’t merely improve the quality of life for the two people involved but also enriched the American culture.
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Sames Sex Couples Through History
- By Susie on 12-11-12
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The Invitation-Only Zone
- The True Story of North Korea's Abduction Project
- By: Robert S. Boynton
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 7 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Throughout the late 1970s and early '80s, dozens of Japanese citizens were abducted from coastal Japanese towns by North Korean commandos. In what proved to be part of a global project, North Korea attempted to reeducate the abductees and train them to spy on the state's behalf. When the project faltered, the abductees were hidden in a series of guarded communities known as "Invitation-Only Zones" - the fiction being that these were exclusive enclaves, not prisons.
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Over enthusiastic reader!
- By AJW on 02-14-16
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Golden Dreams
- California in an Age of Abundance, 1950-1963
- By: Kevin Starr
- Narrated by: Elijah Alexander
- Length: 29 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Starr brilliantly illuminates the dominant economic, social, and cultural forces in California in these pivotal years. In a powerful blend of telling events, colorful personalities, and insightful analyses, Starr examines such issues as the overnight creation of the postwar California suburb, the rise of Los Angeles as Super City, the reluctant emergence of San Diego as one of the largest cities in the nation, and the decline of political centrism.
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Give us more Starr on California!!
- By Roger on 08-24-16
By: Kevin Starr
What listeners say about Alex Haley's Roots: An Author's Odyssey
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- tru britty
- 11-17-16
The downside of fame
Adam Henig has put together a compelling behind the scenes on Alex Haley in the aftermath.
I never knew there was so much controversy. Fights with the publisher. Multiple lawsuits claiming Haley plagiarized large chunks of Roots. Wives, mistresses, girlfriends.
For all of that, Haley wrote a groundbreaking book that was turned into a groundbreaking miniseries.
What I would have liked was Haley's side of the story. But he was long dead when this short history came out. But the absence of his voice, even quoted from other sources, leaves a hole for me.
Still this is an interesting nugget on the price of fame.
I should add that the author tacks on an essay about his own personal writing journey at the end. He talks about his decision to self publish and exposes some of the footwork he had to do to track down Haley's story. This part was almost more engaging because he could come from behind the mask of historian.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Steven L Stringfellow
- 01-16-19
The Roots of Roots
The story of the book and the author is as interesting as the story the books tells. I always thought of Roots as historical fiction. It’s interesting that the book’s veracity was a point of controversy at one point. Odd that the writer says he made hundred of pages of research and only produced a 2 hr audiobook, 30 minutes of which is about his self-publishing journey. It was still interesting.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Neal B. Forzod
- 08-19-20
Perfect companion to Roots
This was an enjoyable, short biography of Alex Haley. It covers extensively the ups and downs Haley experienced after the publication of Roots and the astronomical success of the TV miniseries. If you want to listen to Roots, listen to the recording by Avery Books. If you want to know what happens next, the final years of Haley’s life, then this is the book for you.
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- Amazon Customer
- 06-15-23
Just read Wikipedia.
I read as much as this book offers on Wikipedia. I was pretty disappointed. Sorry.
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- Latoya Damon
- 12-06-23
Uncritical Surface Evaluation.
Terrible. Low key very disrespectful. Language and review were condescending and uncritical. Waste of money.
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- Rashida A
- 01-14-17
Not
I feel as though my money was wasted. I wanted to listen to "Roots" the story not this anecdotal information about Alex Haley, his publishers, or editors. I am disappointed.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall
- linnietea🐾
- 07-29-22
Sadly,I felt it a bait & switch.
I was totally disappointed thinking I had purchased the book Roots only to get some OFF brand nothingness. And I wasted my credit. As a young girl Id begun to read Roots but I came from the "south" my book was found and ripped to shreds. As a senior citizen I wanted to return to read with new eyes but still the compassionate heart.
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1 person found this helpful