Roots was released the year I was born. I don't think you can use that as an excuse. Especially since it's a large part of American culture and tends to come up in discussions relating to slavery. Hell, we've had several discussions relating to Roots on this board over the years.
Yeah this part is weird to me. It was part of the NY state curric back when I was teaching. I would imagine that most people have read an excerpt and just didn't catch the title or know what it was from. But it's a little like saying you've never heard of Uncle Tom's Cabin. Or Frederick Douglas. I mean, we're required to teach these things.
So I'd always thought I'd both read and seen Queen. I just realized that it was a totally different book and mini-series called Queenie. That one is about a girl from India who tries to pass for white.
I once held in my hands a petition signed by members of the Robert Gould Shaw Veterans' Association. They were African American men who had fought for the Union in the Civil War. I was doing research into the legislative history of the law that prohibited discrimination in places of public accommodation in Massachusetts, and the association had made a petition to the legislature for an amendment (If I remember correctly, it was to include hotels specifically in the law).
It was this thing of beauty, all handwritten and such, and talked about their experiences a bit in the war.
It was buried deep in the state archives, and it kind of broke my heart to send it back there. Things like that, they should be seen and read.
...but doing original document research is super cool. In the days before staplers, they used straight pins! And petitions/bills that were passed successfully, all the paperwork on them is bound with red silk ribbons.
So I'd always thought I'd both read and seen Queen. I just realized that it was a totally different book and mini-series called Queenie. That one is about a girl from India who tries to pass for white.
I've never seen the movie (although I have a vague memory of seeing my Mom watching it on TV). I read the book a few years ago. I really enjoyed it (it was kind of slow in the beginning though) and I'm sad to hear about the plagiarism.
I never read it or learned about it in high school though.
So I'd always thought I'd both read and seen Queen. I just realized that it was a totally different book and mini-series called Queenie. That one is about a girl from India who tries to pass for white.
Oooh! Tell me more!
I had to refresh my memory from wikipedia. She is half Indian and half Irish and doesn't fit in at all in India. Goes to the UK, tries to pass, becomes a stripper. Then she goes to Hollywood and becomes a famous actress. It's based on the real life of the author's aunt.