Roots by Alex Haley. Week #6 of the summer Read-A-Long

Roots by Alex Haley.
Read-A-Long Week #6

Pages Read:  501 - 601
Chapters Read: 78 - 89

Note:  I am reading ROOTS in honor of my former student Quincy Blue who was recently found murdered, his body burned beyond recognition, in Saint Paul, Minnesota. 

This one hundred pages marks a major turning point in the book.  First Kunta gets really sick with a fever and they are very worried he is going to die.  Missy Anne reads to him from the Bible and with great doctoring he luckily recovers.  Kizzy and Noah start falling for each other and Kunta was praying for them, hoping they would make a great match.  But Noah decides he wants to run North and be free and then try and earn enough money to buy Kizzy.  It was a great dream that failed when Noah got caught on the run.  Kizzy wrote his forged traveling pass and she is pulled out of her parents arms and taken away by the Sheriff to be sold.  Kunta and Bell suffer a fate worse than death as their daughter is dragged off never to be seen again.  Kizzy is 16 years old and Kunta is 55.

Kizzy gets sold to a po'white cracker master that cockfights to win his money.  There is only 5 slaves on the land and on the first night Kizzy is raped by Massa Lea and impregnated.  She gives birth to Kunta's grandson and the Master names him George.  Kizzy teaches George all about his African grandfather, Kunta.  George grows up and begins to be apprenticed to Uncle Mingo, a slave that cares for the Massa's fighting roosters. He moves away from his mammy Kizzy and learns the Massa is his pappy.   The chapter ends with George attending his first cockfight with Massa Lea and Uncle Mingo.  It is an eye opening experience for George.

The year is about 1818
Kunta is 68
Kizzy is 29
George is about 12, maybe 13.
Location:  Kizzy and George are in North Carolina
Kunta and Bell are probably still in Virginia.

When Kizzy was taken from Kunta the story continues to follow Kizzy and the reader is left grieving for Kunta as it appears we will never be reading about him again.  I really miss Kunta and Bell.  Since George has left home the story appears to be following him and we only learn a little bit about Kizzy from time to time when George visits.  It is interesting how Haley moves from one generation to the next, leaving us to wonder what happens to those we left behind. 

These are the bloggers/readers participating in the Read-A-Long.  Please visit them and comment.  Also if you are participating and want to be included on this list, please comment and I will add a link to your blog.
Thanks everyone for participating.

1.  Bre from Booksnob Wannabe
2.  Sherrie from Just Books
3.  Laurie from Whatsheread