''The African'' is a 1967 novel by

Harold Courlander Harold Courlander (September 18, 1908 – March 15, 1996) was an American novelist, folklorist, and anthropologist and an expert in the study of Haitian life. The author of 35 books and plays and numerous scholarly articles, Courlander specialize ...

Plot

A young African boy, Hwesuhunu, is kidnapped from his homeland by French slave traders, and endures the terrors of the Middle Passage and being sold into

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

. Hwesuhunu is brought to the island of Saint Lucia, and is later sold to a Georgia plantation for US$100.

Controversy

The novel became the subject of controversy when it was revealed that author Alex Haley had plagiarized sections of ''The African'' for his 1976 novel ''

Roots A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients. Root or roots may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusing ...

'' which later was made into a 1977 television miniseries, a 1979 sequel miniseries, and a 2016 television miniseries remake. In 1978, Haley paid

and his publisher $650,000 as out-of-court settlement of the lawsuit.Chicago Tribune
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References

English-language novels 1967 American novels Novels set in Africa Novels about American slavery Crown Publishing Group books {{1960s-novel-stub