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Then, Haley says, the history of the family should be written and a copy sent to every member. Haley encourages youths to rummage through attics, basements and closets for illuminating family letters and other memorabilia. "It's a simple thing," says Haley. "But the existence of a written history gives the family something it never had before. There is an almost miraculous effect once it exists." Finally, Haley urges, "have family reunions. There is something magic about the common sense of a blood bond. It's not less magic for black, white, brown or polka dot. The reunion gives a sense that the family cares about itself and is proud of itself. And there is the assumption that you, the family member, are obligated to reflect this pride and, if possible, add to it."
Writing Cook. Because Roots is a black family reunion of sorts, Haley sees some distinct differences in why whites and blacks are so attracted by it. Discounting speculation that his work would unleash black rage, Haley says, "I've not heard one murmur of radicalization from blacks. I have heard ebullience and happiness that the story has been told. The blacks who are buying books are not buying them to go out and fight someone, but because they want to know who they are. Roots is all of our stories. It's the same for me or any black. It's just a matter of filling in the blanks—which person, living in which village, going on what ship, across the same ocean, slavery, emancipation, the struggle for freedom." Now, Haley says, "some very important things are happening among young blacks. The generation of the 1960s was so quick to label all older blacks as 'Uncle Toms.' Roots has helped turn this around. People come up and thank me for making them go back to their parents and elders. And I tell young people to go home and hug their grandma and grandpap.
"The white response is more complicated. But when you start talking about family, about lineage and ancestry, you are talking about every person on earth. We all have it; it's a great equalizer. White people come up to me and tell me that Roots has started them thinking about their own families and where they came from. I think the book has touched a strong, subliminal pulse."
The origin of Roots is the very kind of storytelling Haley lauds. While a boy hi Henning, Tenn., he first learned of the "furthest-back person" his grandmother talked about—Kunta Kinte. Says Haley: "Grandmother would bubble with pride about 'Chicken George' [Haley's great-great-grandfather], but when telling about Kunta Kinte, her voice would fill with awe, like she was talking about a Bible story." Haley's college-educated parents were teachers, his mother in the local elementary school and his father at black colleges in the South. Haley took books out of libraries "like lollipops" but found no such sweetness in school. Graduating with a C average from high school at the age of 15, he attended college for two years and then in 1939 enlisted in the Coast Guard.