Roots of Desire: The Myth, Meaning and Sexual Power of Red Hair

by Marion Roach

Part history, part cultural commentary, part memoir, The Roots of Desire is a witty and entertaining investigation into what it means to be a redhead.

A redhead rarely goes unnoticed in a crowded room. From Judas Iscariot to Botticelli's Venus to Julianne Moore, redheads have been worshipped, idealized, fetishized, feared, and condemned, leaving their mark on us and our culture. Such is the power of what is actually a genetic mutation, and in The Roots of Desire, Marion Roach takes a fascinating look at the science behind hair color and the roles redheads have played over time. She discovers that in Greek mythology, redheads become vampires after they die; Hitler banned intermarriage with redheads for fear of producing "deviant offspring"; women with red hair were burned as witches during the Inquisition; in Hollywood, female redheads are considered sexy while male redheads are considered a hard sell; and in the nineteenth century, it was popular belief that redheads were the strongest scented of all women, smelling of amber and violets. Redheads have been stereotyped, marginalized, sought after, and made to function as everything from a political statement to a symbol of human carnality. A redhead herself, Roach brings candor and brilliant insight to the complicated and revealing history of redheads, making this a stand-out narrative and an essential tool in understanding the mechanics and phenomenon of red hair.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Sexuality, Psychology, Historical, Womens, Science

256 pages, Hardcover

First published July 7, 2005

Reviews

[Danielle Louise · Rating 2 out of 5]

I worked at a bookstore shortly after this book was published, and it caught my eye whenever I walked past for months. I only recently remembered it and decided to pick it up from the library. And I have to say, I'm so glad I didn't buy it back in the day.

This is one of those books that I had to force myself to finish even though I wasn't really enjoying it. For me, the problem wasn't how much of it was memoir -- for the most part, I found that interesting, if a bit irritating when she assumed her experiences were the same as all redheads. No, the problem was... she's just not a very good writer. There is very little structure to the book, and she continually bounces back and forth between subjects. It is very difficult to follow sometimes.

She also has an annoying habit of making a claim or stating a fact or sharing an observation and then just... moving on, without bothering to go into more detail. Sometimes that extra detail would just be interesting, but often the missing details leave her argument unsubstantiated. She expects her readers to accept a lot of things at face value without critically examining them first.

I thought the most interesting part was the second section, about the science of red hair (such as there is). Her explanation of it was not the clearest, but I feel like I have a decent idea of it, for not being a scientist. The first section was my least favourite, and I think the worst about unsubstantiated claims and unstructured writing. The third section was OK, and probably something many redheads can relate to, but it was a bit too long -- some of its tangents could have been cut.

I really like the idea of this book -- part memoir, part science, part history, part sociology -- but I just wish it had been executed better.

[Penelope · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't dislike every aspect of this book. Some of the mythological information was pretty interesting. But the same details were often repeated over and over. It seemed like she was clinging to straws trying to make her point with the same small bits of information.

This book is more memoir than scientific/mythological investigation. Roach constantly observes how her personal journey is inextricably bound with her search for the meaning, cause, and genetic usefulness of red hair. Toward the end she really focuses on the importance of knowing she's a redhead, and describes the changing appearance of her hair over time as well as the various responses to her hair. A lot of this information seemed useless to me (especially when she started going into her great great grandfather, who was a rigger...what?) She obviously wanted to write a memoir, and I think she should have just done that through the "red lens" that she so cleverly whips out in the first chapter. The attempts to veil her personal story with snippets about science and whatnot just made it hard to follow as a cohesive narrative.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great story about a woman's search for finding ou who she is. As a redhead, I can tell you much of what she reveals are thoughts I've had myself. When I was in high school I went on a field trip to France. On the Metro a woman dressed in (what I'll describe as) gypsy attire started at me - glaring. I turned to a friend and said, "What's her problem?" My friend explained that in some religions redheads were seen as "witches". I was shocked.

My Grampa always called me Little Red, then Big Red when I was older. Marion Roach's search for learning more about her red hair - and in turn her family - was one I can relate to.

I really liked this book. It was a fun read.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book. Red and Proud

[Araminta Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am thinking of changing my license plate to "MC1R." No joke.

Anyone who knows me knows that the first way I identify myself to others, in writing, as a human being on this earth, is by my hair color. I'm a redhead, a ginger, a strawberry blonde, and while my hair color has faded with the years to a dull version of its gingery self, I am embedded with the strands of my flame-colored identity.

This book by my sister-redhead, Marion Roach, should be called The Redhead Bible. In it, she endeavors to answer the questions "Why are redheads the subject of superstition, why are they associated with sexuality and feelings of distrust, and why do so many redheads identify themselves by their hair color" -- as if color is identity. I suppose, though, in some respects, most identity boils down to colors in some shade or another.

I found myself riveted by her journey, but I also felt like she left a chapter out--the chapter that clarifies why redheaded women are simlutaneously held in the views of some people as both the apex of sexuality and sexual desirability as well as a the pinnacle of UNdesirability. How is it--that is, what is the connection--between being both coveted and repulsive to people? I'm not talking about the connections she does lay out plainly between virtually every early painting of Eve, Lilith, Mary Magdalene, Cassandra, Persephone (and any other cadre of femme fatales in myth and history) being that of a redheaded woman, thus branding her as an object of revile (she is wanton) and an object of desire (again, she is wanton). I'm talking about how these two things often exist at the same time in the same person--where does that come from? How is it, for instance, that just as many paintings of angels and cherubim are redheaded? How is it that the most coveted child models are the redheaded models? How can we represent both perfect virginity (angels) and perfect harlots (Jezebels, to pluralize the woman's name)?

I think you can tell by my questions just how engaging I found this book. I hope EVERY REDHEAD OR GINGER WHO READS THIS REVIEW goes onto read the book. We all should. Maybe, too, the people that love us (or revile us). I loved it. Utterly.

I'm just hoping MC1R for a license plate in my state isn't taken yet...

[Gail]

Are you a redhead? Know one? Love one? Loathe one? You will enjoy this book. The author, a fellow redhead, is a bit self-indulgent but that's like my pot calling her kettle black. It's not as if I've gone out of my way to read a book about blondes lately - ever actually.

Roach gives the reader insight into not just red hair, but the color red itself and what it symbolizes and how that shapes a redhead's identity and how others identify us - consciously or not.

Then there's the science. 4% of the population, allele's, Mendelian genetics and mice. In the long run it may be more important than the witchery, lasciviousness and unfettered morality we've been accused of but not nearly as much fun to read.

Skip this work if you are not or do not care about redheads. The more interesting of you out there should definitely pick a copy up.

[Roxy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating book. Being of the crimson hued myself, I particularly enjoyed discovering where so many of the myths and perceptions that still hold true today stemmed from originally.
I also sympathize with the author in that, after learning to embrace being a bloodnut, it is somewhat dismaying to suddenly realize it is slowly fading and becoming a slightly more muted form of how I usually see myself. I had blood red hair as a child and then flame red in my teens then a golden red in my 20’s and now I have people say my hair is either brown or strawberry blond or some colour in between. I have noticed it all depends on the light I am in. Sunlight brings out the gold; indoor lowlight brings out the darker reds.
I loved that this book examined not only the myths and the element of magic associated with red hair, but also delved into the science behind it. Very enjoyable read.

[~☆~Autumn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just finished this about red hair and enjoyed the second part about genetics but the first part was just too strange for me. Someone kept telling her that she was a witch because she has red hair and I never heard that before in my life but she seems to think it is common knowledge. There was other very strange lore and I don't agree with any of it.

I did wish to visit Edinburgh to see all the redheads as they are so rare these days. I am not one except for a short time around 4th grade when my hair went slightly strawberry. I was surprised to learn that red hair fades out. I guess this may happen to all hair colors.

Redheads need more anesthesia than others so this was a good fact they have now learned. The bit about them being descended from Neanderthals is totally wrong. Some reporter got it wrong as usual.

[Dinah · Rating 3 out of 5]

At times this book seemed long-winded and too detailed. But after reading another book that was very weak, I appreciate the attention to detail. I had hoped for some more fun information. I did enjoy the discussion with the graphic artist and how they see redheads. The redhead is always the "bad-ass".

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marion Roach is a redhead, from a long line of redheads. Fascinated by the depictions of her (our, I should say) kind in literature, art, and even science, she sets out to understand red hair and what makes it so fascinating. She tracks down the scientists who uncovered the redhaired genome, talks to geneticists, biologists, and genealogists, witches and clergymen, looks at historical figures with red hair, and depictions of red hair in art, history, plays, books, and urban legend. She also relates a number of personal anecdotes about her own life as a redhead.

Unfortunately, she doesn't do this in any sort of linear fashion. Information on Jacobean theatrics are intermixed with factoids about geneticists breeding golden mice, stories about her childhood are smashed in with the Egyptian myth of Set. Part of the problem is that she really doesn't have a point to make other than that red hair is cool and redheads have gotten a bum rap in history. I would have liked things laid out in a more organized fashion, personally, but it was still a fascinating read, and her writing is very smooth despite the jumps in topic.

[Anie · Rating 1 out of 5]

It wasn't what I expected or wanted it to be. This was very rambling. It reminded me of someone who liked to hear themselves talk. Meh. I had been looking forward to this and even ordered it from another library.

[Gary Reger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Marion Roach is right, in Roots of Desire, to stress the strange notions linked to red hair, which differentiate by sex: in men, it's seen as a marker of weakness; in women, of sexiness. Beyond these stereotypes, though, Roots of Desire doesn't get very far. You might expect a careful investigation of the origins of these notions, a comparison of attitudes toward red hair in the Euro-American world as opposed to the rest on the globe, and a discussion of the impact of the genes that yield red hair on the rest of our make-up. But you'd be disappointed.

Roach barely scratches the surface of any of these questions. She travels to Scotland to interview the scientist who first identified the gene(s) that determine red hair, but she has nothing much to say about his work. There is nothing much at all on sexuality, despite "Part Three: Sex," covering pp. 155-219, but the only direct engagement appears on a single page. Nothing to speak of about women with red hair, their own perceptions about their libido, etc.

In fact, what the book is mostly about is Roach's own meditations--which, I fear, are neither terribly deep or engaging--about her own red hair, and her family inheritance. As I read I kept thinking, okay, she is using herself as an entree into a wider treatment of the topic--but no, she instead keeps looping back to herself. For instance: in Edinburgh, where she's gone to meet her scientist, her chief preoccupation is the presence of an unusual number of redheads on the streets.

If you'd like to know what Roach thinks about her own hair color, this is the book for you. If you're curious about our social and cultural perceptions of red hair, you won't find much here.

[Savanah Gray · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a gift and took me awhile to get to. I didn't need to rush. There is some great information here but it gets so mired in pseudo science and the idea that redheads are distrusted or caught up in some unique and grand story. It becomes difficult to make it through the book.

There are a few facts I didn't know about redheads and the genetic information shared does hold up. The book isn't unreadable thanks to this small fact.

I also appreciated some uncovered historical references that showed why red hair was used to identify Judas in plays and the acknowledgment that persecuted groups (Jews, women, Romani peoples etc) were often portrayed as red heads in some superstitious knee jerk reaction. That was interesting and when I looked it up, the information held up. I just wish it hadn't been laid on so thick to set the stage for the "why redheads are so amazing and special" finale.

Some good information but overall, an absolute slog when you can find the majority of this info in other books. This also serves as a good niche gift as a very nicely sized book and good design. All the tidbits of information are in one place so someone may appreciate it.

[Magenta Wilde · Rating 3 out of 5]

A reviewer on Amazon described this as part history, part science report, part memoir, and I'd say that's about right. You get some science, some mythology and religion, and a lot of personal anecdotes as the author looks into her family history, primarily surrounding who she inherited her red hair from. Parts of it were enjoyable, but it seemed a bit meandering. She goes to witch camp, which should be interesting, but it just trails off. She spends a lot of time at Darwin's house, but it's more to reflect on the rarity of redheads and how they fit in with Darwin's theories. (Don't ask me ... I kind of glazed over in parts.) Mostly it's a narcissistic tome, focused on her most beloved feature. I usually love these mish-mashes of history, legend, science and so on, but it was just okay for me.

[Siskiyou-Suzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've always been a pretend redhead.

My dad's a freckle-faced carrot top. And I was born with brown hair that in the sun might glow a little ruby. I don't have the freckles, but I have the alabaster skin tone they're plopped atop on my father. So I'm an honorary redhead, I say. I'm basically a redhead.

So it shouldn't surprise you to learn my hair is currently red. I mean, I had to use chemistry. But it's natural looking. I get told that a lot. Because I could be a redhead, see, if only the color of my hair had agreed.

Barely remember this book except wondering if this was secretly Mary Roach and also I swear there's a part about itching and how the author is writing a book on itching, and it made me all interested in itching.

[Chase Showen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel conflicted about this book. As a redhead myself, I really connected with the messages and themes throughout this book. However, I find Roach’s writing style.....obnoxious. At times it feels bland and very High School Essayish. Roach has a tendency to ramble, and I found myself drifting off and just wishing for her to get to her point. BUT, what I will say, this book was VERY thoroughly researched, and the information—when it wasn’t rambling— was incredibly insightful and fascinating. Ultimately it was her own personal stories peppered throughout that saved the book for me and made it worth it. It was a good read, but not sure I’ll pick it up again.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good book - with history, personal interest and humour thrown in for good measure. I seem to be reading a lot of science/genetics recently and finding them enjoyable. This is definitely on my enjoyable list. As someone who used to dye their hair regularly [including many differing shades of red] it was fun to read about a colour that has so much history and some unusual reasons for that history.

[Mara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an interesting cultural history of red hair. However, the writing was very disorganized and the author kept going back and forth between her own experiences as a redhead and redheads throughout history.

[Jeffrey Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really admired how this book looks at literary references to redheads. Big fan of how this book is organized. It seems like a lot of the dislike comes from people wanting this book to be something it isn't.

[Marc de Brujo de Pronosticador Deportivo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book combining folktale, science, history, religion, and more into discussing men and women with red hair. There is more to them then being "without a soul" as southpark claims. I am thinking I might like to date a redhead.

[Mike Cross · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are looking for a book on redheads, I would look elsewhere, as only a quarter of this book is on the topic. This is more of a memoir and a book about writing a book then a book on redheads.

[Ruby · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this before I gifted it to a friend (yes, how underhanded of me) and I was never once tempted to steal it for my own bookshelf. 'Roots of Desire' is mildly interesting at points but I found it hard to get through the rest of it. There seems to be only 3 topics to this book: 1) Red haired women are viewed as attractive, sexy, fiery and/or magical but red haired men are not; 2) Red hair was historically reviled and viewed with suspicion... Ok, there are really only 2 points and the rest is fleshed out with miscellaneous facts about the genetics of red hair and Marion Roach's personal memoirs as a redhead.

This isn't a problem in itself, but the habit of jumping back and forward between the science, myths, historical and cultural meanings and personal reflections of red hair without really concentrating on any one subject was tedious. It quickly became repetitive re-reading the same or similar points that Roach had introduced at the start of the book just to get to the new part of the discussion when it was reintroduced later in the book. Repitition also gives the impression that she didn't actually have a lot to say.

In the end, this book really seems to be a personal reflection on what red hair means to Marion Roach; how having red hair has shaped the way people have viewed her (she assumes) and her own identity; the visible connection that redhair gives her to her ancestors as well as total strangers; and what it means to her to be losing her "red" as her hair darkens with age. I think the book would have been more informative if it had been better focused and structured, and it would have been more interesting if Roach had just run with the 'Personal Memoirs of a Redhead'. But as an uneven mix of the two, it is let down on both fronts.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was recommended this one by a friend who's a natural redhead (I myself am a blonde-turned-redhead, so it did seem intriguing.

I'm mixed on how to feel after having finished this.

First for the good details. Roach's interest in red hair is deifnitely noticeable, and her passion for her research comes through in her writing. I really loved the delving into mythology, and it was interesting to see references throughout history. I also found the scientific details interesting. The book was split into mythology, science, and sexuality.

As a research book, it falls flat for a few reasons. Roach really would have benefited from citing her sources throughout the writing, for starters. There's a bibliography at the end, sorted by subject, but that doesn't help the reader to track down information, which is troublesome considering she makes some claims that I'm a bit iffy about - certain mythological women as redheads, for example. She also spends a lot of time assuming that all redheads have had the same experiences and all non-redheads have been told the same things (which, as a blonde, I can guarantee is not true, or at least where I grew up in New York).

Overall it's definitely an interesting read with some great things to think about, but perhaps nothing to take too seriously.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

In a Nutshell: A book exploring the mythology and culture treatment surrounding redheads.

It was not as good as I wanted it to be, although it did have some interesting facts, such as:

- Redheads were often sacrificed in Egypt (burned & ashes scattered)
- Roughly 4% of the world population is redhead, but can increase up to 10% in places like Scotland
- Red hair thought to be an imbalance of the humors (too much blood)
- Redheads thought to be smelliest of women (smelling like amber & violets)
- Redheads are bleeders
- If anything is to go wrong in a surgery, it'll be with a redhead
- All redheads are witches
- When making a deal with the devil, some part of that person turns red, thus redheads are associated with evil & the devil (such as the devil licking redhead's lady parts)
- "Blondes are the girlfriends, brunettes are the femme fatal, and redheads are the heroines"
- Redhead women are seductresses, redhead men are at best clowns, at worst the devil
- Red hair used in art to depict "the fall" and association with the devil


Some famous redheads (some speculated) in myth, fiction & history:
- Lilith (Adam's 1st wife, later she-demon)
- Judas Iscariot
- Mary Magdalene
- Osiris's evil brother

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting information on succubi, the myth of Lilith, Jews and red hair, witches, the symbolic meaning of red hair on women vs. men, etc. I could have used more information about the genetic component, as the few tidbits given were one of the highlights of the book for me. Interesting facts - the redheaded gene can be reliably identified and traced. Red hair is thought to have evolved and persevered as a genetic trait, especially in climes far from the equator, because the fair skin which goes with it prevents rickets. (Interesting fact from another source, many Medici children - you know the rich and powerful Florentine family of Renaissance Italy - died of rickets, not because of poor nutrition, but because the simply didn't spend enough time outdoors in the sun, and hence were vitamin D deficient.)

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of my new year's goals is to read some of the books that have been sitting on my shelves for a while that I haven't gotten around to reading yet. This was the first one that I reached for since, of course, I find the topic fascinating.

I think I wanted something different from the book though, than what I got. This is a personal look at being a redhead, and does exactly what the subtitle suggests. It ventures back into the mythology of red hair, and the assumptions that go along with it.

I found it very difficult to get through because I didn't jive with the writing style. But it did make me think about some of the assumptions I had been making about redheads, and that was interesting.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book to be frustrating, it seemed to be a rambling story that often left me unsure of where the author was going. It was also quite over written in parts, taking several pages to describe a concept that could have been covered in a couple of paragraphs. There is also a lot of random person details about the author, and the trips to witch camp and Darwin's house seemed large pointless to the story. I gave it two stars because there were some interesting snippets about red heads in history, I wish these had been elaborated on. I am a red head myself, which is why I wanted to read the book to get a better idea of redheads through time, but I didn't feel it really covered what it set out to.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyably self-indulgent exploration both for this redheaded reader and for the redheaded author. Roots of Desire touches on the history of redheads, the folklore that accompanies this hair color, and the science behind why some people (4% of the population) have red hair. Marion Roach glides through all of these aspects as a means of self-discovery. I enjoyed accompanieing her on her journey, but I think she probably got a lot more out of it than her readers do. There's a wide breadth and not much depth here, as far as the research and her extrapolations from it go (in other words, there's a healthy does of BS involved in the way she connects this to that).

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not as impressed as I thought I'd be...but a fun read, over all. I think I was more entertained by the author's own Story, and finding out about her family, than the genetics bits about Red Heads.
There wasn't as much Information, as I'd believed, but again...I appreciate that I got to know the author. She seems a well versed worldly person, and really got to the heart of the matter.
Which was, Who are we Really, us Red Heads?
And truly...do we really care? Not so much. We Know That we are Red, and that is all that matters.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a redhead myself, I enjoyed seeing how I related to other redheads. The looks we get, the questions, "is it dyed?" lol. The history behind redheads and how we are depicted throughout history. From Eve to Cain to witches and harlots. I did have a hard time following her train of thought. Sometimes she seemed to ramble on and I got lost in her words.

If you are a redhead, you probably would think the book was ok...if you aren't (unless you have a fascination or fetish for redheads) you probably won't like the book at all.