Haley called his novel "fiction" and acknowledged most of the dialogue and incidents were fictional. However, he claimed to have traced his family lineage back to Kunta Kinte, an African taken from the village of Juffure in what is now The Gambia.

Is Roots based on true story?

Initially, Roots was promoted as “faction”, appearing in the non-fiction section of many bookshops: obviously dialogue and many of the small incidents were made up, but Haley was at pains to explain that the core story was all true.

Where is Kunta Kinte buried?

Though some historians have disputed the details, Kunta Kinte is believed to have been held in slavery on a plantation in Spotsylvania and to be buried on Graveyard Hill, near Arcadia.