Product Description
"This book chronicles the last days of the purity of what has been for three centuries one of the world's most unusual cultural enclaves."
—Alex Haley

"The two scientists made a personal discovery in Suriname.... As a social anthropologist, I was fascinated by their story."
—Colin M. Turnbull

I Sought My Brother is a unique history of a black people living deep within the jungles of South America who not only survived attempts to enslave them but who have triumphed with their original African culture intact. It also provides the only permanent record of a way of life that may soon vanish as new technologies are brought to this remote area.

The story of a meeting between Allen Counter, a neurobiologist, David Evans, an electrical engineer, and the African-descended people of the Suriname rain forest was first told in the film, "I Sought My Brother," which appeared on National Public Television and in countries throughout the world. Now, in this pictorial essay Counter and Evans condense their experiences over and eight-year period into one long reunion with the bush tribes whose African ancestors escaped into the jungle after being transported to Suriname by 17th-century Dutch slave ships. They were victorious over the colonialists during a century of guerrilla warfare, winning their independence by formal treaties before North Americans won theirs from the British. Since then, they have carried on their traditional way of life with freedom and dignity.

The book traces Counter and Evans's discovery of this well-preserved African presence in the New World and their dangerous journey over river waters filled with rapids, rocks, and piranha that took them several hundred miles into the interior and centuries backward in time to thatched-roof villages and an exciting and highly emotional meeting with the Bush Afro-Americans. They are greeted by the headman who asks them if they are still bakra schlaffra, or "white man's slaves," and who wants to know if they have won their fight. "The battle is still being fought," the authors reply.

The text and hundreds of illustrations document their participation in village life—hunting and fishing, childbirth, medical practices, religious rituals, dance, building a house and a canoe—and in unfamiliar, "primitive," and holistic customs. In turn, the authors delight their hosts with cassette recordings of Otis Redding, Lightnin' Hopkins, Aretha Franklin, and Stevie Wonder, and eventually with their own film of the reunion. ... Read more

Product Description
Roots is more than the saga of Alex Haley's family, by means of his novel the author has managed to put slavery in a new light as well. With the help of his protagonist, Kunta Kinte, he was able to highlight such aspects of slavery which were not mentioned before.While analysing Haley's brilliant work, my aim was to focus on the American-born and the African-born slaves' relationship, which is tensioned during the whole novel though both of them live under the same oppression. I have tried to investigate what is the source of the lack of understanding each other and their common disrespect, which usually characterises the African born and the American born slaves' relationships.Besides this interesting point of the novel, my work also elaborates another remarkable aspect of the slaves' character, which seems to be a great burden for them; the American-born slaves' rootlessness and the African-born slaves' double identity.I would recommend this book for those who are interested in the history of slavery and in Haley's work as well and they would like to know not only the surface but also the underlying reasons and motivations of the slaves' behaviour and actions. ... Read more

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International Collectors Library edition. Hard cover, leatherette bound; no dust jacket. Leatherette binding is vibrant red with impressed gold ornamentation, and is in the London Fleet Street replica binding style. ... Read more

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Describes the work of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton for the women's suffrage movement. ... Read more

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This is a very special novel that sparkles with the same memorable writing that made ROOTS an American classic.

This is the story ofFletcher Randall, a nineteen-year-old from North Carolina whose politically powerful father is a plantation owner, and, of course, a slave owner. The time is 1855, and all Fletcher Randall knows and believes about slavery he's learned from his father.

But Fletcher goes to school up North, and one or two of his Princeton classmates talk about how wrong slavery is until Fletcher begins to think for himself
--and he becomes a traitor to his background, to his family, by conspiring to aid in a mass escape of slaves on the Underground Railroad. His partner in this plan is a black slave by the name of Harpin' John, a man who plays the harmonica so sweetly it could make a grown man cry. Christmas Eve is the secret date set for the escape.

How these two men of such incredibly opposing backgrounds join together to achieve the goal of freedom makes
A Different Kind of Christmas soar with unforgettable inspiration. This is a timeless tale of spiritual regeneration, moral courage, and powerful humanness, meaningful and memorable to readers of all faiths and all ages. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Amazing Insight
Alex Haley probes the depths of the Southern mindset of the times with regard to the horrific prejudice Whites had against Blacks.Slave owners regarded their slaves as less than human, yet loved them and depended upon them when they kept their place.The social and spiritual awakening of Fletcher Randall, a prominent slave owner's son, is an amazing story.The Quaker influence on this young man's thinking is rightfully and skillfully acknowledged as he commits himself to being an agent for the Underground Railroad with a challenging assignment.My only regret is that the ending felt abrupt to me, leaving me wishing for more details about the outcome over the Christmas holidays.Perhaps Mr. Haley is wise in letting the reader use his/her own imagination about that.

I cried
"Alex Haley's Roots is one of the world's most beloved and important books. In A Different Kind of Christmas, the intense drama of a white Southerner and a black slave who work toward a mutual goal, Haley once again gives us a moving story of physical and moral courage, and an unforgettable tale of spiritual regeneration. Rendered with a matchless sense of time and place, a poetic humanness, and a rich, robust humor; A Different Kind of Christmas will delight and inspire reader of all ages and faith for generations to come."

So says the inside of the dust jacket. Here I am reading this for the first time, 20 years after it's first printing, a white, non-Christian. I cried when it was over. Not a lot, but it definitely affected me.

Fletcher Randall, son of the owner of "North Carolina's 4th largest plantation", is a sophomore at Princeton when we meet him. After meeting and spending some time with 3 Quaker brothers, Fletcher becomes disillusioned with what he was brought up considering 'normal'; that people can be your property. Fletcher eventually becomes involved with the Underground Railroad (UGRR). Fletcher spends part of one of his Christmas breaks helping the UGRR in a surprising way. I'm trying not to give away too much. It's a 101 pages, pick it up, read it and I think you'll find that it picks you up in return.

A Christmas story packed with mystery and drama
Author, Alex Haley (Roots), does indeed write "A Different Kind of Christmas" book.It deals with a teenage only-son from a N. Carolina plantation (Fletcher Randall) who attends college in New Jersey.Therebecomes aware of his belief that slavery is wrong, through friendship with Quaker schoolmates.

He offers his assistance to the underground railroad people and is given the assignment to assist getting a group of slaves away from his own home county, indeed, some from his own father's plantation.He will meet a slave co-organizer of the escape.The escape is intended to happen during local events on Christmas Eve, 1855.Plans go awry.Will the slaves escape?Will Fletcher and his assistant, Harpin' John, survive?

It is a different Christmas story and one that will never become outdated.It is a fine bit of historical fiction.Is it fiction?It is written so well, a spell-binder, that one wonders how much is truth.This book is even more significant now, due to the Obama election.

A book for schools across the nation, as well as homeschoolers.

you will finish it in one day!
i normally have about three books i'm reading at any given time...but this one,very good,i just couldnt put it down. I t is 8 chapters loaded with exciting tidbits about the Underground Railroad,life in the South, and life at college.All that lead expertly to an exciting conclusion,but more importantly, leaves the reader soul searching in a very positive way. Sort of like an uplifting Sunday morning sermon.

A Little Treasure
"A Different Kind of Christmas" is the tale of a white southern born and bred college student (Fletcher) during the mid 1800's.Fletcher is the only son of a wealthy slave owning senator who believes a northern education is excellent preparation for his son's eventual ownership of the plantation.After being befriended by Quaker classmates, Fletcher's education is broadened to include the abolitionist doctrines upheld by the Quakers.As Fletcher integrates this new knowledge into his worldview, he is moved to join the Underground Rail Road system and is assigned the task of freeing slaves from his hometown in North Carolina.

Fletcher is joined by a slave from his hometown, Harpin' John, who is also a part of the UGRR.Together they plan the escape of twelve slaves.The story takes a turn when the escape plans are discovered.Suddenly, Fletcher and Harpin' John are fleeing from sure execution at the hands of the slave patrol.

This little tale is filled with information on the abolitionist movement while at the same time delivers a fable like story that appeals to children and adults.This is an excellent read for children. As an ongoing bedtime story or independent read the novel portrays an integral part of American history in an easily readable format.This will make a nice addition to children's libraries. ... Read more

Product Description
This interactive book for parents and children begins as a genealogical guide that shows kids how to trace their past--how to track down important documents, create an oral history of their family, and compile a family tree. Two-color illustrations throughout. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent Genealogy Starting Point for Kids and Others
This book brings the study of genealogy alive by intertwining the author's own family search with the common experience of many of us to find our own roots and beginnings.It sensitively handles cultural differences and origins and attempts to highlight specific events that affected particular immigrant groups.

The frequent use of biographical resources (photographs, documents, sidenotes) allows the reader to relate the discussion of genealogy to actual people and events in history.Since this is also called the "Official Ellis Island Handbook" this book additionally gives a very personal and thorough look at what it meant to be an immigrant and the experience that awaited many of our ancestors when they arrived in America.

I highly recommend this book not only for children but for anyone that desires a concise definition of the field of genealogy and family history.Its highly visual format and organization also make it a great classroom tool. ... Read more

Product Description
Sixty-two years after the publication of the Diary of Anne Frank in Dutch, Aladdin Library is proud to offer its readers the first authorised translations of the book in Arabic and Persian.

Anne Frank was born on June 12, 1929 in Frankfurt, Germany. For the first 5 years of her life, Anne lived with her parents, Otto and Edith, and older sister, Margot, in an apartment on the outskirts of Frankfurt. After Hitler s rise to power in 1933, the family moved to Amsterdam in the Netherlands to flee the increasing persecution of Jews in Germany. Seven years later, the German army occupied the Netherlands and the fragile peace of the Frank family was once again shattered.

By July 1942, the Nazi authorities in the Netherlands had received orders to deport Jews to concentration camps in German-occupied Poland. Anne and her family went into hiding in a secret attic apartment behind the office of Otto Frank's business. They were soon joined by four Jewish friends of the family. Several non-Jewish friends and colleagues of Otto Frank smuggled food and clothing to the secret annexe at great risk to their own lives.

On August 4, 1944, officials of the German secret police, the Gestapo, and their Dutch collaborators raided the hideout after being tipped off by an anonymous Dutch caller. The eight detainees were sent to Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland.

Selected for labour due to their youth, Anne and her sister, Margot were transferred to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in northern Germany in late October 1944. Both sisters died of typhus in March 1945, just a few weeks before British troops liberated Bergen-Belsen on April 15, 1945.

Anne's mother, Edith, died in Auschwitz in early January 1945. Only Anne's father, Otto, survived the war. Soviet forces liberated Otto at Auschwitz on January 27, 1945.

While in hiding, Anne kept a diary in which she recorded her fears, hopes, and experiences. Found in the secret apartment after the family was arrested, the diary was kept for Anne by Miep Gies, one of the people who had helped hide the Franks. After learning of Anne s death, she gave the diary to Otto Frank.

Since its first publication in 1947, the Diary has been translated into more than sixty languages and has become one of the most celebrated books of the 20th century. Through the diary of this Dutch schoolgirl, millions of readers around the world came to know personally one of Hitler's countless victims: an unfathomable and anonymous horror found a face. ... Read more

Product Description
Relates how a Philadelphia seamstress helped design and make the first flag to represent the United States of America. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Raices by Alex Haley
It is a very nice book. The condition is very good. However, the print is very small. This was a gift for an older person (60+)and it is a little difficult to read because of the size of the letters. However, everything else was great. Overall, I am very satisfied with the book. I just wish it had larger letters for easier reading. ... Read more

Product Description
"This book is the result of a unique collaboration between Malcolm X and Alex Haley, whose own search for his African past, inspired by his encounter with Malcolm X, led him to write...Roots" ... Read more