LeVar Burton Explores Childhood and Career in New Memoir
The actor and literacy advocate reflects on his upbringing, family estrangement, and iconic television roles in his new book.
Actor, director, and literacy advocate LeVar Burton is releasing his deeply personal memoir, "Take My Word for It," published by Random House. Written alongside Tracey Michael Lewis-Giggetts, the 352-page book explores the challenges of Burton's upbringing in 1960s Sacramento, examining the profound influence of his mother and the absence of his father during his formative years.
Burton's parents separated when he was 11 years old, leading to decades of estrangement from his father. Speaking about the separation, Burton noted that he had virtually no contact with him until landing his breakout role in the 1977 television miniseries Roots. Despite the complex relationship, Burton revealed that his father passed away recently, stating that when the news arrived, he felt a sense of completion.
Throughout the memoir, Burton credits his mother, a high school English teacher and the first person in her family to graduate from college, as the primary inspiration behind his lifelong love of reading. "I am who I am because of my mother. Full stop," he writes in the book. He explains that strong women stepped in to help guide him through his youth in California.
The book also chronicles the unprecedented professional arc that made Burton a household name across multiple generations. After leaving college at just 19 years old to star as Kunta Kinte in Roots, he began a 23-year tenure hosting the beloved children's television series Reading Rainbow. He later cemented his place in science fiction history by portraying the blind engineer Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation from 1987 to 1994.
Reflecting on the span of these characters, Burton noted the unique opportunity he had to portray the Black experience in America across vastly different eras. "I have been able to portray the Black experience in America, from our enslavement to space flight," he told AARP. Landing the role of Kunta Kinte at a young age also profoundly impacted his personal connection to his heritage, pushing him to embrace his identity in new ways.
In addition to his family history and entertainment career, "Take My Word for It" touches upon mental health struggles and details his ongoing commitment to literacy advocacy. Early critical reception for the book has been highly favorable, with Time magazine praising it as a compassionate and vulnerable work, while Kirkus Reviews highlighted it as a disarmingly candid project centered on personal growth.
As part of his promotional tour for the new release, Burton is scheduled to appear on daytime talk shows, including a featured guest spot on ABC's "The View." Now 69 years old, Burton continues to reflect publicly on the family stories that shaped his character and the cultural impact of the roles that defined his decades-long career.