LeVar Burton Memoir Recounts Estranged Father
Random House published Burton's memoir Take My Word for It on November 10, 2026, as the actor reflects on his father's recent death.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in African-American
Random House published LeVar Burton's memoir Take My Word for It on November 10, 2026, written with Tracey Michae'l Lewis-Giggetts. Burton said his father passed away recently, after a long estrangement that began when his parents separated when he was 11.
Why it matters
The memoir revisits Burton's 1960s upbringing in Sacramento and his long separation from his father, which Burton discussed in an interview with AARP. It offers a personal account from an actor widely known for playing Kunta Kinte in Roots.
Burton's memoir Take My Word for It was published by Random House on November 10, 2026, and was written with Tracey Michae'l Lewis-Giggetts. The source does not detail the memoir's page count, price, or format.
The players
LeVar Burton
Actor best known for playing Kunta Kinte in Roots and for hosting the children's series Reading Rainbow for 23 years, and for playing Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Random House
A major American publishing house that released Burton's memoir Take My Word for It.
The details
The memoir returns to Burton's childhood in 1960s Sacramento and describes his mother, a high school English teacher who was the first in her family to graduate from college. Burton has discussed the long estrangement from his father in an AARP interview, and host Henry Louis Gates Jr. raised the distance between them on PBS's Finding Your Roots.
Timeline
1960s: Burton's childhood upbringing in Sacramento.
Age 11: Burton's parents separated, after which he had no contact with his father for years.
1977: Burton, at 19, became widely known for playing Kunta Kinte in Roots.
About a decade after Roots: Burton reconnected with his father.
November 10, 2026: Random House published Take My Word for It.
Season Trajectory
The memoir arrives decades after Roots established Burton as a public figure, extending a career that also included Reading Rainbow and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Its focus on private family history marks a shift from the public roles that defined his earlier work.
Readers can obtain Take My Word for It in print from Random House, which published the memoir on November 10, 2026. The memoir offers a first-person account of Burton's upbringing and family history for anyone who follows his work on television and in film.
The takeaway
Burton's account shows how a childhood separation can shape a relationship for decades, with reconciliation possible even long after a famous career has begun. Readers interested in family history may find the memoir's personal perspective useful for reflecting on their own family connections.
Further reading
Explore more African-American culture coverage for context on the cultural history behind Burton's career.
