1. What significance do names have in Roots? How is a character's name tied into his or her identity and perception of himself or herself?

2. What effects does his new social context in America have on Kunta? What difficulties might immigrants in general have when moving to a new country and culture? How might those difficulties be magnified when the move is involuntary?

3. How do the American-born African-Americans differ from Kunta? How does this affect his relationship with Bell?

4. What are the consequences, good and bad, of Kizzy's relationship with Missy Anne?

5. What significance does George's skin color have to Kizzy?

6. How is George's return to America (after fleeing to Canada) different from his ancestor's arrival in the country?

7. What effect does the switch to first-person narration near the end of the novel have on your feelings about the story?

8. How does Roots differ from other narratives about slavery told from white perspectives, such as Gone with the Wind? What effects do the emphasis on the characters' African heritage and the description of the brutality of slavery have on your understanding of African-American history?

9. Does reading Roots give you a greater sense of connection to or curiosity about your own family's background? How might learning about a family's origins change your perception of its members?

10. Alex Haley wrote and published Roots during the civil rights movements of the 1970s, when American attention was focused on the history of African-Americans in the United States and the legacy and effects of slavery. Has the context changed in 21st century America? Do the same problems still exist? Do different themes in the book seem more or less important now than they may have when it was first published?

11. How does the format of the story as a novel affect your reaction to it? Would you feel differently if it had been presented as nonfiction?