"Roots: The Saga of an American Family" by Alex Haley / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Like most of Americans in the 1970s, I was riveted to the mini-series “Roots.”  Also probably like most Americans, I had never read the book even though “Roots” by Alex Haley had won the Pulitzer Prize.  That changed last night.

I finished “Roots,” all 688 pages in my hardcover version, though some editions go over 899.  I was blown away.  Comparing my memories of the mini-series (of which, frankly, there have never been any better unless it was arguably “The Thornbirds” or “Winds of War”), the filmed version (which had 37 Emmy Award nominations – winning nine – among others) does little justice to the novel itself.  Translated:  the book is better.  That should tell you how good the book is.

Getting the controversy aside:  There were charges and settlements of plagiarism along with accusations of sloppy and untraceable research against Haley following publication.  I’m including this not as a muckraker, but – if I don’t – someone will post this background in the comments section for me as if the rest of us didn’t know and the questionable accusations unto themselves could be accepted as fact.  Long story short, it may have been a research assistant’s error without proper attribution (who knows).  Such things have happened with no knowledge of the writer.  This matter was settled out of court, which means someone made a deal and we’re not really sure what that deal was.  I take plagiarism and false claims seriously – as do most – which is why most people now consider this book to be a book of fiction versus a biography or nonfiction.  I think it an unfortunate black eye.

After reading “Roots,” there were sections I would like to have had more of.  I would like to have known what happened to certain characters (black and white) after the narrative moved beyond them.  As I read (and this was before I knew of the legal controversies), I wondered that if this information was taken from census polls and public records, why didn’t Haley include what happened to certain individuals after the narrative left them?  For the whites, those records would continue to show where they had lived.  For the blacks, it would continue to show who owned them or where they were after their freedom.  I would have even been happy with the “oh, by the ways” at the end of the book in a wrap-up section if Haley felt that including what happened to these characters in the narrative was disruptive.  Didn’t Haley want to know what eventually happened to Kunta Kinte?  Last I read of him, he was running after a wagon.  What happened to these individuals up to their deaths would be just as easy to discover as what was included about them in their lives.  After noting the controversy, it made me wonder – as did others – about the validity of the research.  That being the case, we have to look at this (unfortunately like many biographies of today) as a work of fiction.

Let’s make this Elephant-in-the-Living-Room other point over genealogy, as well, and the reason that most of us who aren’t members of the Whatever Whatevers of Some Revolution find those people who view ancestry research as a given fact rather amusing:  Not every child is who their mothers say their fathers are.  I personally take birth certificates with a grain of salt.  Give me blood tests and now DNA, of which you saw little in the 1800 and 1700’s. Nothing to do with genealogy could be anything more than speculative to begin with.  ‘Nough said.

So, looking at “Roots” by Alex Haley as a work of fiction…

This book was incredible.  It completely opened my eyes on these savage blacks that Europeans rescued from the forests of Africa to bring out of the jungles and try to civilize (isn’t that the misconception).  Frankly, I knew of slaves, but never really thought about slaves.  Or examined slavery in my own heart or compared it to something in my own experience.  I imagine most don’t, including those who say they really do.  There is nothing in my life to compare it to.  What this book showed me and made me empathize with was a proud and religious people who were taken (as was custom in that part of the world, not just by Europeans, but by other black African tribes and nations, as well) from their homes and families and transported cold-heartedly (in the case of European history) to an unknown world where their pasts, traditions, and sense of who they were was completely denied and suppressed.  It showed me a representative story of representative characters who sought nothing more than to just have the choice to walk across a street if they wanted to without having to have a written pass from the massa in order to do it.  It showed me the dignity of a previously proud and moral character forced to live in squalor and filth because those who owned him (not putting it in italics because at the time they did own him, just as they might have owned a horse or chicken) viewed him as something less than human.  I read “Roots.”  I was engrossed in “Roots.”  I went to sleep thinking about “Roots.”  It is easy to say one is against slavery – which I and most are – but it is another to feel the vileness of it, the indignity of it, the shame of it.  I lost sleep over it.  Frankly, the treatment of these people made me sick.

To my knowledge, none of my ancestors owned slaves.  As far as I know, we were the po’ white crackers the slaves made fun of in the book.  But it made me wonder.  What is back there in my past?  Though I know the skeptic in me will always view my family tree as a work of fiction, it might be worth the contemplation.  As abhorrent as I have always viewed slavery, this book actually made me feel it.  What else is back there that may shake me to the core?

Until next time, read like someone is burning the books!

Clay Stafford

– Clay Stafford is a husband, father, author / filmmaker (www.ClayStafford.com), business owner (www.AmericanBlackguard.com), and founder of Killer Nashville (www.KillerNashville.com) with over 1.5 million copies of his own books in print in over 14 languages.  Stafford’s latest projects are the feature documentary “One of the Miracles” (www.OneOfTheMiracles.com) and the music CD “XO” (www.JefferyDeaverXOMusic.com). Publishers Weekly has named Stafford one of the top 10 Nashville literary leaders playing “an essential role in defining which books become bestsellers” not only in middle-Tennessee, but also extending “beyond the city limits and into the nation’s book culture.”  (PW 6/10/13)

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Buy the book from the Killer Nashville Bookstore and help support a new generation of writers and readers.

Visit our bookstore for other similar books.

If you want to make your own comments on this selection, we would love to hear from you. Join our Facebook Killer Nashville group page or our blog and join in the discussion.

Remember that these books are listed at a discount through Amazon. You also don’t have to purchase the version that is featured here. Many of these books are available in multiple formats: e–book, hardcover, softcover, and audio. Enjoy!

"The Deadly Streets" by Harlan Ellison / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

A collection of stories every short story writer and reader should know about:  Harlan Ellison’s The Deadly Streets.

Subterranean Press is the epitome of cool.  I have thought so for years.  Books such as The Deadly Streets a reissue by Harlan Ellison continue to confirm it.  This is a wonderful collection of visceral short stories, all with the take of violence on the street.

This is the second reissue of Ellison’s classic 1958 collection.  (The first reissue was in 1975 when Ellison added five additional stories.)

Harlan Ellison is an incredible storyteller and there is not a dud in the mix.  I personally consider these stories classics, among them a tied-up man terrified of rats; a boy who wants to kill a cop; a gang that takes care of their own, even their dead; a man who talks too much; a girl trying to hold her own against the rest of a male gang.  In all, sixteen thematically connected original and violent stories.  Though most are written prior to 1958, the writing, the characters, the plotting, and the situations still hold true.  The “daddy-o’s” didn’t bother me a bit and the prose goes down like a teenager in a log flume.

After reading this collection, you philosophically will never view city sidewalks the same, but just as importantly for our Killer Nashville writers, studying these stories is one of the best lessons in learning how to write a short story.  Harlan Ellison can write.  The stories contained in this volume are one of the best short story writing textbooks you’ll ever find, and one I would encourage every short story writer to study.  Have a mental dialogue with Ellison as you go along.  He will teach you well.

Tune in next time when I talk about a new psychological mystery series I’ve discovered and why I’m now hooked.  (As though I don’t have enough to read.)

Until then, read like someone is burning the books!

Clay Stafford

– Clay Stafford is an author / filmmaker (www.ClayStafford.com) and founder of Killer Nashville (www.killernashville.com). He reviews books daily for Killer Nashville’s Book of the Day. Publishers Weekly has named Stafford and Killer Nashville as one of the top 10 Nashville literary leaders playing “an essential role in defining which books become bestsellers” not only in middle-Tennessee, but also extending “beyond the city limits and into the nation’s book culture.”  (PW 6/10/13)  Having over 1.5 million copies of his own books in print, Stafford’s latest projects are the feature documentary “One of the Miracles” (www.oneofthemiracles.com) and the music CD “XO” (www.jefferdeaverxomusic.com).

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Buy the book from the Killer Nashville Bookstore and help support a new generation of writers and readers.

Visit our bookstore for other similar books.

If you want to make your own comments on this selection, we would love to hear from you. Join our Facebook Killer Nashville group page or our blog and join in the discussion.

Remember that these books are listed at a discount through Amazon. You also don’t have to purchase the version that is featured here. Many of these books are available in multiple formats: e–book, hardcover, softcover, and audio. Enjoy!

"All the King's Men" by Robert Penn Warren / Tuesday, February 19, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

“A classic. Pulitzer Prize winner. Modern Library’s 36th greatest novel of the 20th Century. The fictional rise of governor Willie Stark and the self-discovery of Jack Burden. Written in the classic voice of a true Southern writer. Prose reads like poetry.”
– Clay Stafford, author and founder of Killer Nashville

Buy the book from the Killer Nashville Bookstore and help support a new generation of writers and readers.

If you want to make your own comments on this selection, we would love to hear from you. Join our Facebook Killer Nashville group page or our blog and join in the discussion.

Remember that these books are listed at a discount through Amazon. You also don’t have to purchase the version that is featured here. Many of these books are available in multiple formats: e–book, hardcover, softcover, and audio. Enjoy!

“Death of a Schoolgirl” by Joanna Campbell Slan / Tuesday, November 27, 2012 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Today’s featured book is Death of a Schoolgirl by Joanna Campbell Slan.

Who would have thought Jane Eyre was such an excellent detective?

Why Clay Stafford chose this book:

Joanna Campbell Slan’s new historical series stars Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre.

“Death of a Schoolgirl,” the first in this historical cozy series, picks up where the classic leaves off. I’m not big on coming-of-age stories (which the original was) and found this definitely more interesting. However, it does pick up where the original story stops, so fans of Jane Eyre will happily devour this, especially since Slan has captured the original voice of Bronte. From the first page, this story quickly pulls you in and Slan wastes no time getting into the meat. I never thought I would read about Jane Eyre getting beaten by thugs, but it does happen. (Beats her fainting on the doorstep of the River’s in the original.)

Jane’s former pupil Adele Varens sends a plea to Jane to come and help. What is at first believed to be a natural death becomes a murder investigation. Slan, best known for her Kiki Lowenstein books, plays fair, dropping clues throughout the novel as to the identity of the killer, but is successful in concealing them until the very end. She’s done an incredible job with the plotting within, what I would consider, to be a character driven novel. One book, the best of both worlds, led by a strong proactive heroine.

It’s always tough to take on an established literary figure. There is always going to be fall-out from devotees. However, I think Slan has done a great job in not only capturing Bronte’s voice, but “Death of a Schoolgirl” is also an excellent example of how to effectively and successfully take on a beloved literary figure.

Whether you’ve read the original or not (whether you like the original or not), if you like historical cozies and light murder, you will enjoy this book. This is a great new series in the making and an incredibly fresh story.

From Amazon:

“In her classic tale, Charlotte Bronte introduced readers to the strong-willed and intelligent Jane Eyre. Picking up where Bronte left off, Jane’s life has settled into a comfortable pattern: She and her beloved Edward Rochester are married and have an infant son. But Jane soon finds herself in the midst of new challenges and threats to those she loves…

Jane can’t help but fret when a letter arrives from Adele Varens – Rochester’s ward, currently at boarding school – warning that the girl’s life is in jeopardy. Although it means leaving her young son and invalid husband, and despite never having been to a city of any size, Jane feels strongly compelled to go to London to ensure Adele’s safety.

But almost from the beginning, Jane’s travels don’t go as planned – she is knocked about and robbed, and no one believes that the plain, unassuming Jane could indeed be the wife of a gentleman; even the school superintendent takes her for an errant new teacher. But most shocking to Jane is the discovery that Adele’s schoolmate has recently passed away under very suspicious circumstances, yet no one appears overly concerned. Taking advantage of the situation, Jane decides to pose as the missing instructor – and soon uncovers several unsavory secrets, which may very well make her the killer’s next target…”

If you want to make your own comments on this selection, we would love to hear from you. Join our Facebook Killer Nashville group page or our blog and join in the discussion.

Remember that these books are listed at a discount through Amazon. You also don’t have to purchase the version that is featured here. Many of these books are available in multiple formats: e–book, hardcover, softcover, and audio. Enjoy!

– Clay Stafford, Founder of Killer Nashville

“Rebecca” by Daphne Du Maurier / Monday, October 22, 2012 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Today’s featured book is Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier.

It’s classic, gothic, romantic suspense at its finest.

Why Clay Stafford chose this book:

“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.” One of my absolute favorite opening lines. And the book never takes a downtown. This is classic, gothic, romantic suspense at its finest. Most of you have probably read it, but for those who have not, it is a classic. I won’t belabor the review because I know most have probably read it, but maybe this will inspire you to go to your bookshelf and pull it off for another read. The critics panned it when it came out in 1938 (what do they know?), but it won the National Book Award in that year despite them. After 65 years in publication, in 2003 it was still listed as number 14 on the UK survey of The Big Read. Alfred Hitchcock won an Academy Award for the film version of it in 1940. Just writing about it makes me want to go read it again. If you’ve never read it, add it to your list.

From Amazon:

“With these words, the reader is ushered into an isolated gray stone mansion on the windswept Cornish coast, as the second Mrs. Maxim de Winter recalls the chilling events that transpired as she began her new life as the young bride of a husband she barely knew. For in every corner of every room were phantoms of a time dead but not forgotten – a past devotedly preserved by the sinister housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers: a suite immaculate and untouched, clothing laid out and ready to be worn, but not by any of the great house’s current occupants. With an eerie presentiment of evil tightening her heart, the second Mrs. de Winter walked in the shadow of her mysterious predecessor, determined to uncover the darkest secrets and shattering truths about Maxim’s first wife – the late and hauntingly beautiful Rebecca.

This special edition of Rebecca includes excerpts from Daphne du Maurier’s The Rebecca Notebook and Other Memories, an essay on the real Manderley, du Maurier’s original epilogue to the book, and more.”

If you want to make your own comments on this selection, we would love to hear from you. Join ourFacebook Killer Nashville group page or our blog and join in the discussion.

Remember that these books are listed at a discount through Amazon. You also don’t have to purchase the version that is featured here. Many of these books are available in multiple formats: e–book, hardcover, softcover, and audio. Enjoy!

– Clay Stafford, Founder of Killer Nashville

“A Sunless Sea: A William Monk Novel” by Anne Perry / Monday, October 8, 2012 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

Today’s featured book is A Sunless Sea: A William Monk Novel by Anne Perry.

For the brutal murder of one woman, an innocent woman may hang.

Why Clay Stafford chose this book:

Real. That’s the word I would use to describe Anne Perry’s newest novel, “A Sunless Sea.”

The astonishingly consistent author of at least 66 novels, Anne Perry is a staple of many Victorian London mystery fans and the experience of this novel explains why. This is not just a novel; it is a world.

Perry’s use of the River Police is fresh and unique and brings an unusual literary device into play, opening the stage for new characters, settings, dangers, and points-of-view which are intriguing from the first page and carry nonstop throughout the book.

The story centers around the murder of a middle-aged “prostitute” (used loosely in the nineteenth century definition of any kept woman who has intercourse outside of marriage) and is reminiscent of other “sentimental” literature such as “Oliver Twist” and “Mary Barton,” though in context we are more in the world of “Jack the Ripper.” It would be so easy in the context of the novel to go overboard on the gruesome, but instead, Perry chooses it to make it human. The plot brings forth an interesting perspective that I rarely see and that is when the police detective arrests a person who by all accounts is guilty, but the detective doubts her guilt, but must arrest her anyway. That doesn’t keep him – even though his duty is to prosecute – from also attempting to exonerate. Perry handles that complex balance deftly. The beginning was incredible: I was there. Perry explores the delicacy and brutality with equal sensitivity, not only in the portrayal of the victim, but in the relationships of the other characters including Monk (the series’ main character), his wife Hester, their friend Oliver Rathbone, and the turmoil between Rathbone and his wife Margaret.

The characters are believable including the examination of old conflicts between characters. One does not need to read the previous books in the series to become immersed in this one. Perry references previous incidents in the series without being obtrusive. The personal stories transcend all genres. Every page is full of conflict and honest, empathetic emotions.

The dialogue is straight on. The dialogue and accents are so clear I could hear the characters talking in different voices in my head. It is amazing when a writer can pull that off.

Greed, the love of money, and the disrespect of human life outside of one’s own family or personal interests are powerful motivators. Prior to this novel, I was not familiar with the Opium Wars, which are referenced throughout the novel. Taking a diversion and researching that subject on my own, I was struck with the similarity of the greed associated with that and events in our own times. I won’t be specific in my own conclusions, but will allow you to draw your own parallels. Seeing this, though, and comparing it in the context of my own time, gave Perry’s novel a contemporary context and parallel-significance for me, making it all too real.

“A Sunless Sea” is an enthralling story that will weigh on your mind even when you are not reading. The characters are real, their world is real, and I felt a part of them. I hated coming to the last page. Good thing this is a serial because at the end of the book, I was dying for more. Complex characters, elaborate plot, pristine pacing, and unusual environs all make this one of the most flawless mysteries in the Victorian historical genre.

“Many people appeared different in public from the way they might be in private, in the darkness of a backstreet far from where they lived.” Perry doesn’t just write these words, she shows us. In setting and tone, Dickens (one of my favorite and most influential authors of all time) would be proud. Few mystery authors have captivated my interest or imagination as has Anne Perry.

From Amazon:

“Anne Perry’s spellbinding Victorian mysteries, especially those featuring William Monk, have enthralled readers for a generation. The Plain Dealer calls Monk “a marvelously dark, brooding creation” – and, true to form, this new Perry masterpiece is as deceptively deep and twisty as the Thames.

As commander of the River Police, Monk is accustomed to violent death, but the mutilated female body found on Limehouse Pier one chilly December morning moves him with horror and pity. The victim’s name is Zenia Gadney. Her waterfront neighbors can tell him little – only that the same unknown gentleman had visited her once a month for many years. She must be a prostitute, but – described as quiet and kempt – she doesn’t appear to be a fallen woman.

What sinister secrets could have made poor Zenia worth killing? And why does the government keep interfering in Monk’s investigation?

While the public cries out for blood, Monk, his spirited wife, Hester, and their brilliant barrister friend, Oliver Rathbone, search for answers. From dank waterfront alleys to London’s fabulously wealthy West End, the three trail an ice-blooded murderer toward the unbelievable, possibly unprovable truth – and ultimately engage their adversaries in an electric courtroom duel. But unless they can work a miracle, a monumental evil will go unpunished and an innocent person will hang.

Anne Perry has never worn her literary colors with greater distinction than in A Sunless Sea, a heart-pounding novel of intrigue and suspense in which Monk is driven to make the hardest decision of his life.”

If you want to make your own comments on this selection, we would love to hear from you. Join ourFacebook Killer Nashville group page or our blog and join in the discussion.

Remember that these books are listed at a discount through Amazon. You also don’t have to purchase the version that is featured here. Many of these books are available in multiple formats: e–book, hardcover, softcover, and audio. Enjoy!

– Clay Stafford, Founder of Killer Nashville