We've got your back. With the Tough-O-Meter, you'll know whether to bring extra layers or Swiss army knives as you summit the literary mountain. (10 = Toughest)
(6) Tree Line
In terms of its writing style, Roots is far from a difficult read. Author Alex Haley got his start as a journalist, after all, so he favors clarity and readability over experimental literary tomfoolery (looking at you, Jimmy Joyce).
That being said, this thing is long—our edition weighs in at almost nine hundred pages. While Haley's readable style makes the climbing feel easy, Roots is still one tall mountain.