Alex Haley
Coverage of Alex Haley in the Nexus archive.
- Lamar Alexander on January 6, banned books and why compromise still matters in American politics
Former Tennessee Gov. and U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander criticized President Trump for the January 6 Capitol attack and emphasized the importance of accepting election results. He discussed his book, political compromise, and opposed banning books like Alex Haley's Roots in Tennessee schools.
- Tennessee Republican senator wants to change book-ban law
Tennessee Republican Sen. Richard Briggs plans to sponsor a bill to revise the Age Appropriate Materials Act after the Pulitzer Prize-winning book 'Roots' was removed from Knox County school libraries. The book was taken off shelves due to a scene depicting the rape of an enslaved woman, and the law currently allows removals based on district committee decisions without public records of complaints. The Knox County School Board urged legislative changes to include elected officials in the review process.
- Knox County votes to challenge Tennessee’s book ban law after “Roots” removal
Knox County school board banned Alex Haley’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel 'Roots' under Tennessee’s Age Appropriate Materials Act due to a passage depicting a rape, but the superintendent later reversed the ban. The board voted 5-4 to urge the Tennessee General Assembly to revise the law, which mandates book removals based on specific content criteria without exceptions for literary merit or historical context.