Alex Haley's Roots to be Removed from Tennessee Schools

Friday, May 15, 2026

Alex Haley's book Roots is included in an updated list of book titles to be removed from Knox County [Tennessee] Schools libraries. ... Roots is a multi-generational story following the descendants of a man sold into slavery in the United States. It won the Pulitzer Prize and was adapted into a miniseries. There is a statue of Haley in East Knoxville.

Posted by retort at 12:12 PM | 17 COMMENTS | permalink | Comment on This Entry |

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Ironically, Alex Haley grew up in Tennessee...

OCU

#1 | Posted by OCUser at 2026-05-15 12:22 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

Racists are nasty people.

Racists have a nasty culture.

#2 | Posted by Zed at 2026-05-15 12:22 PM | Reply

How about the removal of "The Autobiography of Malcolm X", which Haley also worked on? Having read that book, my belief as a white person that this book is more challenging to African Americans than is "Roots".

If there is an election in November, it may well be the final chance for African Americans to have a significant voice in the electoral process and to have elected representatives which look like them. When Der Dotard posed the rhetorical question of "What the hell do you have to lose?" to get black folks to vote for him--well, those voters have now found out what they are losing, and it is a great deal...

#3 | Posted by catdog at 2026-05-15 01:21 PM | Reply

Put a disclaimer on the cover reminding people its a work of complete fiction but don't get rid of it the book is a big deal and well written.

#4 | Posted by Tor at 2026-05-15 01:38 PM | Reply

Republicans are scum.

#5 | Posted by TFDNihilist at 2026-05-15 02:47 PM | Reply

the video said "some schools" and referred to age appropriate standards.

So not sure exactly what schools nor how many.

And who did it? It's not referenced. The Knox County school board?

#6 | Posted by eberly at 2026-05-15 02:54 PM | Reply

www.knoxnews.com

Yeah...this is pretty stupid.

#7 | Posted by eberly at 2026-05-15 02:58 PM | Reply

6, 7: Other than Dolly Parton and maybe some parts of University of Tennessee -- and East Tennessee State University, in Johnson City -- East TN is largely populated by chuckleheads who don't give two squats about literacy, theirs or yours.

#8 | Posted by Dbt2 at 2026-05-15 04:45 PM | Reply

- chuckleheads

This is brilliant taxonomy!

Apropos to the max.

#9 | Posted by Corky at 2026-05-15 04:48 PM | Reply

The Volunteer State also has a disproportionate number of black in people in prisons and Tennessee is also one of the hardest states for felons to recover their lost voting rights.

Feudalism, top to bottom.

And FDR, a Democrat, helped the poor white trash of this state by building the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) during the Great Deal.

#10 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 2026-05-15 04:58 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 2

10 . . .

which the Soviets came over and studied as an example of central planning.

Lived for years around the TVA "lakes"/reservoirs. Very nice, once you get to them.

#11 | Posted by Dbt2 at 2026-05-15 05:05 PM | Reply

I was discussing one time the management of TVA lake levels with someone who seemed to know what they were talking about. He said it all ultimately came down to how much water passed under one bridge in Chattanooga. If that water level dropped to a certain level, they could no longer guarantee a water supply to Atlanta's insane sprawl.

And god knows, in Atlanta, as they said back in the 80s and 90s, the state bird is the crane.

#12 | Posted by Dbt2 at 2026-05-15 05:10 PM | Reply

Sorry . . . the point being that they'd drain everything north of Atlanta to keep that moneymaker happy.

#13 | Posted by Dbt2 at 2026-05-15 05:11 PM | Reply

Spooky. I just logged into my email to see a fundraising letter from East Tennessee State University.

It's the lattice of coincidence.

#14 | Posted by Dbt2 at 2026-05-15 05:13 PM | Reply

#10 Coriolanus says, "And FDR, a Democrat, helped the poor white trash of this state by building the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) during the Great Deal."

At the heart of what I mean when I say that Ingratitude is a Cardinal Sin.

#15 | Posted by A_Friend at 2026-05-15 05:27 PM | Reply

"My name is KKKunta KKKinte!"

#16 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-05-15 05:29 PM | Reply

"Barring a biblical rain storm, the city of Corpus Christi, Texas is poised to run out of water as early as 2027."

and other water shortage stories

www.google.com

#17 | Posted by Corky at 2026-05-15 05:58 PM | Reply