Roots vs Up from Slavery: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Afro-Americans, African Americans, Biography & Memoir, History

Cover of Roots

Roots Alex Haley · 1861 ★★★★☆ 4.4 476 pages · ≈ 8 h 49 m · Demanding Find on Amazon

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Cover of Up from Slavery

Up from Slavery Booker T. Washington · 1900 ★★★★☆ 4.1 168 pages · ≈ 3 h 07 m · Challenging Find on Amazon

The verdict

Readers rate Roots higher: 4.4 vs 4.1 from 166305 votes.
Up from Slavery is the quicker read — about 3 hours vs 8 for Roots.
Up from Slavery is the easier read (Challenging), Roots more demanding (Demanding).

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