I read this book when I first came to prison. I had never read it before. I saw some of the movie way back when i was a child but didn’t know too much about it.
It is the story of an African American’s family history. it starts in Africa and follows his ancestor Kunta Kinte as he is captured taken into slavery and moves through history until the family is free.
I thought the book was profound. Imagine knowing what your family ancestors went through to stay alive and survive and then throwing all that sacrifice away to become a drug dealer or a robber and criminal.
I feel if I had known this history that I would not have thrown my life away.
I started studying genealogy because of this book. I recently had my DNA tested and found out that I am 82% black and 18% white. That my African side comes from the Nigeria/Burkina Faso/sierra Leone area of West Africa and my European side stems from Great Britain and South Germanic.
Knowing who you come from instills pride and makes me want to do better and be better. I really loved this book.
