Roots of Desire, Marion Roach. In this fascinating and easily accessible chronicle, Roach, herself a redhead sets out to document the myth and reactions surrounding redheads over the ages. As well as anecdotal and folkloric elements, the book covers the eugenic preoccupation with hair color and temperament and the recent discovery of the gene.




This being the internet, it seems worth disclosing that I'm currently sporting red hair. I'd something of a greater than average interest in the book, as I've found that hair color makes me something of a fetish object. For redheads real and not, I can't recommend this enough. I was also both surprised and pleased to learn that my namesake, Emily Dickinson, was a redhead as well.

Read November 2006