RDAU_2026-ISSUE0809_DIGITAL MAGAZINE

MINOTAUR BOOKS (THE ANNIVERSARY). THE NOUN PROJECT (BOOK ICON) BOOKS Remembering Roots By Lucas L. Johnson II You can basically divide time into “B.R.” and “A.R.” (“Before Roots” and “After Roots ”). Prior to the publi- cation of Alex Haley’s Pulit- zer Prize–winning historical novel, Roots , inspired by his decade-long quest to learn his family’s history in Africa and America, few people knewmuch about their own genealogy. Now it seems everyone is looking into their family tree. As the book turns 50 this year—the TV adaptation aired in 1977— Remembering Roots writer Lucas L. Johnson II shows how Haley got the spark. (Hearing his grand- mother’s native tongue inspired Haley to learn about ancestors he knew only by name: Kunta Kinte, Kizzy, Chicken George.) Johnson’s book contains excerpts from Roots that were first published in 1974 in the pages of Reader’s Digest , which had funded Haley’s research while he was a contributing editor to the magazine, as well as accounts of what that master- piece meant to figures including LeVar Burton (who played Kunta Kinte in the miniseries), Halle Berry and more. Johnson emphasizes the ever-prescient words that Haley, who died in 1992, wrote almost 50 years ago: “In this country, we have been like people who live in the same house and tend to stay in our own rooms, doing no more than peeking out and then ducking back. If only we could all come out together, say in the living room, and learn more about each other ... It would show us our future as a collective people—retaining, being proud of, our differences, but coming together in collective strength. That, I believe, is the hope for America.” — Jody L. Rohlena The Anniversary By Alex Finlay High school golden girl Jules Delaney has every- thing going for her. Not so for classmate Quinn Riley, raised on the wrong side of the tracks by his struggling single mom. But one evening in May, the two find their fates changed forever when each suffers a sep- arate life-altering trag- edy. As years pass, their lives intertwine as both seek to expose buried secrets and untold truths about what happened to them. Along the way, these two battered hearts might just find solace in each another. Part love story, part thriller, The Anniversary is like nothing you’ve read before. — Amy Reilly reader ’ s digest 126 August/september 2026 * ^ PAPER-BASED RECYCLABLE PACKS 1 ™ isa trademarkofReckitt. Paper-basedpacks1available in select ranges& sizesof46-80 tablets ¹Consistsof75%paper.Recyclabilityexcludes zipper - refer topack for recycling instructions. *Tested ina30-minutequick cycle ^Source:NIQ©Scan,AutoDishwash,AustraliaandNewZealand forMAT to 18/05/25. NEW 2026 D i s h w a s h i n g T a b l e t s h g