Tennessee school district reverses ban on Alex Haley ‘Roots’ novel

The Knox County school district first deemed “Roots” to be in violation of the state’s Age-Appropriate Materials Act.

The Knox County school district in Tennessee has reversed its ban on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “Roots.”

Knox County Schools Superintendent Jon Rysewyk wrote in a memo that access to “Roots: The Saga of an American Family” would be reinstated “effective immediately,” weeks after the news of its removal gained national attention.

“While I firmly believe the the district review committee applied the parameters established in the AAMA consistently and in good faith—using the same process they have applied to every book reviewed under the guidelines of the 2024 amendment—the May 12, 2026 determination to remove Roots has weighed heavily on me, as I know it has on many members of our community,” Superintendent Rysewyk wrote in the letter.

Rysewyk wrote that while reviewing the ban with multiple attorneys, he found “discrepancies” among their different interpretations of “relevant sections of the Tennessee Code and the referenced terms as they applied to ‘Roots.'”

He also added that the district’s intent “will always be to err on the side of access, which is the decision I have made with regard to ‘Roots.'”

The decision to ban “Roots” from Knox County Schools earlier this month was based on the state’s Age-Appropriate Materials Act of 2022. The policy requires public school libraries to disclose a list of their materials on the school’s website, and for the local board of education or public charter school governing body to develop a procedure for that list to be re-evaluated by students, parents, or school employees. Materials in a library’s collection could be banned based on content that includes nudity, sexual abuse, sex, or what it deems “excessive violence.”

The ACLU of Tennessee has called the legislation a “misguided and overly broad ban” that could “result in the censoring of educational materials on biology, history, literature, and health.” Through the ban, the school districts in the state have prohibited books like Judy Blume’s “Forever,” “Beloved” by Toni Morrison, and “Clockwork Orange” by Anthony Burgess.

The famed 1976 historical novel by Alex Haley details the life of Kunta Kinte, a 17-year-old Mandinka who was captured from Africa and sold into slavery in the United States, and the stories of his descendants through several generations. Though largely fictional, “Roots” describes the cruelties of chattel slavery, including the physical and sexual violence endured by enslaved people from their enslavers. Knox County school district leaders shared that a scene from chapter 84 of “Roots,” which involves a rape, was what determined their decision to ban the book.

After Knox County schools added “Roots” to their list of banned books, which totaled 124 titles at the time, state politicians, school board members, and community members denounced the decision. Even Haley’s family called the move “a slap in the face.”

The “Roots” ban also hit close to home due to Haley’s close connection to the region. He spent some of his childhood in eastern Tennessee, as well as some of his final years, before he died in 1992. In the town of Knoxville, there is a statue and a heritage site honoring the acclaimed writer.