FINDING OPRAH'S ROOTS will not only endow students with a new appreciation for the key contributions made by history’s unsung, but it will also equip some with the necessary tools to connect to pivotal figures in their own past.

For Oprah, the path back to the past was emotion-filled and profoundly illuminating, connecting the narrative of her family to the larger American narrative and “anchoring” her in a way not previously possible. For the student, FINDING OPRAH'S ROOTS offers the possibility of an equally rewarding experience.

 
WINNER 2008 - New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age

 
HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR., is the Director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research and holder of the distinguished title of the Alphonse Fletcher, Jr. University Professor at Harvard University. As well as being the author of several award-winning works of literary criticism, he penned the memoir Colored People; The Future of the Race, co-authored with Cornel West; and Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Black Man.