Roots and Branches: Current Directions in Slave Studies discusses slavery including its history and impact on modern society. Organized into nine chapters, the book first covers slavery in the Americas, and then discusses slavery and its legacy. The first two chapters discuss the dispersion of African population and slavery within Africa, and the third chapter concerns itself with slave plantations. Chapter 4 discusses the Afro-American slave culture, while Chapter 5 covers the relationship between slavery and Protestant ethics. The sixth chapter covers the legacy of slave families in North America, and the next chapter relates slavery and peasantry as a process. Chapter 8 tackles the relationship between race and slavery in the Americas, and the last chapter deals with slavery and underdevelopment. Readers concerned with sociological issues, specifically slavery, will find this book a great source of insights.