A tribute to the late great Alex haley

a story about the aurther of the movie roots
you can see the movie at http://www.youtube.com/rydar1978
ty rydar1978 for the movie clips i really enjoyed them

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• rydar1978
• roots
• african american
• black
• power
• strong
• toughing
• love
• memories
• alex haley

[Ramubay]

Most historians now believe that Alex Haley's book is mostly a work of fiction and Roots is excluded from the Norton Anthology of African-American Literature, in which the editors have stated "Most of us feel it's highly unlikely that Alex actually found the village whence his ancestors sprang. Roots is a work of the imagination rather than strict historical scholarship." Simply put, the man lied to sell a book.

[Peachis911]

@Ramubay weather he was telling the truth it was based on facts period u trying to say that blacks were never slaves? and i find it only white people are saying this about him no offences

[Ramubay]

@Peachis911 You are wrong. Blacks scholars & genealogists were the first to dispute Haley's book as well black author Harold Courlander. Don't make things up to fit what you would like the truth to be, actually do your homework. I realize that people like to rewrite history, and that's what you are doing, shame on you, history is sacred, shame on you. To suggest that because blacks were slaves then Roots is not a work of fiction, then you can say the same about ANY film that depicts slavery.

[zadeh79]

@Ramubay It's not OK. But I would not hold that against him to justify degrading the value of his (fabricated) story. Neither would I consider drug addiction, against Caroll, or the Lewinski Scandal, against Bill Clinton. I think it's wrong that Haley misled the public, but I realize and admit, that if Roots had been originally published as a work of fiction, it still would have been a very notable piece.

[Ramubay]

@zadeh79 As fiction, yes its enjoyable, even as historical drama, no problem, but James Cameron never claimed everything in the Titanic was true. That's a big difference, to state what YOU are stating, that's its okay to LIE and claim something is true is wrong. I don't believe you don't understand that. Who taught you its okay to lie? Your parents? Your teachers? Michael Moore? I'm curious, you must have gotten it from somewhere.

[zadeh79]

@Ramubay Most of the movie, the Basketball Diaries, regarding the late author Jim Caroll, is fabricated, but that did not make the movie less enjoyable, or the man less notable. James Cameron's Titanic, was largely fictionalized, though it was highly acclaimed. So one should possess the maturity to accept there will always be a difference between history, and the way in which it is often, dramatically expressed.

[zadeh79]

@Ramubay Oh I see. You must be the neighborhood pedophile, then. Why don't take your regurgitative ass , back to the Wiki Commons, where you can indulge in more pseudo-science and conjecture. I know men of reason are lacking there.

[zadeh79]

@Ramubay Who cares, if he made it up. More Half the shit in Norton's is made up. The point is, that it was a really good story, and it had (for the most part) a novel plot. It sold very well, as did Haley's Autobiography of Malcom X. He deserves recognition and respect for his work, not infamy for his failures.

[Ramubay]

@zadeh79 ....The Norton Anthology of African-American Literature excludes Haley's works, the only best-selling African-American author to be excluded. I don't know where you're getting your information, but the fact that ROOTS and Haley are no longer in good standing in African-American historical circles is well documented. Google it!

[Ramubay]

@zadeh79 I never said failure, he made tons of money off of Roots and won a Pulitzer. What I said is he falsified his statements regarding his personal history and that ROOTS (some of which was found to be plagiarized), is now generally considered a work of fiction even though it was originally stated to be fact - Haley later admitted he made it up! Start with wikipedia on Alex Haley. Even if you don't like wikipedia it does have extensive footnotes of the criticisms which are indisputable..

[zadeh79]

@Ramubay It's not generally accepted, that Haley was a failure. Now go to hell.

[Ramubay]

@zadeh79 I'm not talking about one person, I'm talking about generally accepted analysis. If you can't distinguish between truth and reality you should be in a mental institution.

[zadeh79]

@Ramubay Yeah, and Reggie Wayne denounced Michael Jordan. That type of thing is expected. Henry Louis Gates, of the Norton Anthology, was probably very jealous of Mr. Haley's works, and had little basis for rejecting Roots.