The Roots After Show recaps, reviews and discusses episodes of History's Roots. Show Summary: The classic story of "Roots" is retold in this miniseries based on Alex Haley's 1976 novel. The show paints a portrait of American slavery through the journey of a family that has a will to survive through many hardships. Malachi Kirby stars as Kunta Kinte, a proud and educated young man who uses those traits to empower himself when he is captured and sold into slavery. While he is enslaved, he challenges his fellow slaves to fight for their freedom as he continues working toward achieving his dream of escaping and returning to his homeland of The Gambia. The miniseries also stars Emmy winner Laurence Fishburne as Haley; Grammy nominee Anika Noni Rose as Kunta's daughter, Kizzy, who is bought by Tom Lea (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), who rapes and impregnates her; and Oscar winner Forest Whitaker as slave musician Fiddler, who mentors Kunta.