Editor's Note
Alex Haley’s Pultizer Prize-winning Roots was published 50 years ago, and the book, along with its widely viewed miniseries adaptation, had a lasting effect on American culture and our shared understanding of the country’s history. This week at Chapter 16, Lucas L. Johnson II discusses his new book, Remembering Roots, which surveys Haley’s multi-faceted impact. “Roots,” he notes, “inspired people – of all races – to find out where they came from.”
We revisit Aram Goudsouzian’s 2024 interview with Betsy Phillips about her book Dynamite Nashville, which “digs into the thick, murky network of racial terrorists behind the violence” that scarred Nashville and other cities during the civil rights era.
And rounding out this week’s offerings with a potential beach read, Peggy Burch reviews the debut novel by Knoxville writer Darby Bozeman, Summer’s Never Over, a mystery set in a children’s camp where being a counselor comes with unexpected dangers.
News Roundup
- Ishmael Reed has written a new play about tech billionaires.
- An excerpt from Ann Patchett’s new novel, Whistler, appeared in Good Housekeeping, and she discussed the book with The Times.
- Leslie Baird was interviewed for Debutiful.
- A story by Peggy Culp was published in Shadowplay.
- Joy Harjo has released a new album produced by esperanza spalding.
