Why Every LU Freshman Needs to Read “Blood at the Root”

When was the last time you read a book completely for fun and not for a grade?

As a campus community, we don’t really read for leisure anymore. Between being on the grind with classes, scrolling through social media through handheld tech, our attention spans have shifted. Everything is so visual now that there isn’t really a keen interest in sitting down, putting the phone on silent, and flipping through black-and-white pages. 

To this day, I cannot remember the exactly how but seeing the cover art instantly captivated me: a young Black teenage boy emitting powerful blue magic from his hands. I bought without hesitation and now that I have lived through the experience of reading it, I must put y’all on to Blood at the Root by LaDarrion Williams.

Welcome to the Magical HBCU

Langston is a great university, and you’re going to love your time here on the yard. But imagine being accepted to an HBCU that has all the same elements. The wild parties, the idolized athletes, the legacy sororities and fraternities, the cafeteria link ups, and the roaring marching band with a plot twist: every single student on campus studies magic. Yes, somewhere in the world of fiction exists a magical HBCU, and I had to dive in headfirst.

Growing up, I was always a fan of fantasy media and literature. I religiously read Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and I never missed an episode of Charmed. These world-renowned stories were awesome, but none of them truly related to me as a Black individual. That is why Blood at the Root was such a breath of fresh air and a delight to read.

Without spoiling the best plot twists, the story follows the life of Malik Baron, a Black teenager from Helena, Alabama. Malik grows up never knowing his father while living with his single mother. His world is violently turned upside down when he comes home one day to find his mother being attacked and kidnapped by mysterious, masked men. With him now an orphan, he is forced into a foster care system where the dynamics become detrimental.

After escaping his foster home, Malik coincidently connects with his estranged family in Louisiana. It is there that he learns he is a descendant of a powerful generation of conjurers, and he has been accepted to attend Caiman University, a magical HBCU.

A freshman story relatable to all

Malik steps onto his new campus as a freshman lost but determined to find his place in the scheme of things. Sound familiar? At first, he is treated as an outcast by the university administration and even by some of his fellow students. Despite getting the cold shoulder, he manages to find a crew of diverse, unique kids who understand his struggle. As Malik excels in classes, he learns to perfect his craft, harness his ancestral magic, and made achievements on campus.

What stood out to me the most is how the author uses this fantasy world to educate readers on African American folklore and traditional African-based spiritualities, such as Hoodoo and Vodoun (popularly mischaracterized by society as “voodoo”). While Harry Potter relies on his wand and Percy Jackson uses Greek mythological powers, Malik is surrounded by the power of herbs, crystals, ancestral lineage, and rooted cultural black magick.

Blood at the Root is a 3-book series, and I just finished the second book, Bones at the Crossroads. Where Malik finishes his freshman year and experiences homecoming for the very first time. The final installment of the trilogy, Ashes at the Altar, drops this fall, and I am overly excited to see how the story ends.

Join the Movement Early

As freshman at Langston, we can learn a lesson from Malik’s journey. He teaches us that despite our chaotic backgrounds and personal tragedies, we can always find a community in a unique environment. This campus is a place that promotes academic excellence, diverse cultures, lifelong friendships, and genuine love.

I highly recommend this book for every incoming freshman to read because I have a strong feeling it is going to go completely viral and hit TV screens soon. So, it is always good feeling to say you read it first. Hard copies are cheap online costing no more than $12. But I got y’all, if you prefer reading digitally on your phone or iPad, you can find the first two books and thousands more for free online at oceanofpdf.com.

I say all of this to remind you that books can still be exciting once you find a story that aligns with your interests. Give your imagination the space to create a world through your own perspective. You are guaranteed to learn new things about history, culture, and yourself along the way. Do not let the old saying be true that if you want to hide a secret from someone, you just put it in a book. Pick up one or two, start reading, and let us change the narrative!