Classic Authors: Alex Haley

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Mar 28, 2000

Alex Haley grew up listening to stories about his ancestors. His maternal grandmother wove the tales, transporting Alex to Africa, where his great-great-great-great grandfather boarded a slave-ship against his will. The spell-binding narratives sparked Alex's interest, and thus began his life-long quest to find his heritage. After 12 years of genealogical research, Alex Haley published Roots(1976), a saga which inspired millions to delve into their own pasts. Roots became a treasured classic, earning Alex Haley a distinguished seat in the history of American literature.

Although he was born (1925) in Ithaca, New York, Alex Haley spent his childhood in the small town of Henning, Tennessee. He grew up listening to his grandmother's stories of Africa and slavery. At 15 years of age, he graduated high school, and continued his studies at Elizabeth City Teacher's College and the Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College.

During World War II, Alex enlisted in the Coast Guard. When the job bored him, Alex entertained himself by writing adventure stories. His friends and fellow crewmen realized his talent, and often asked for his help in writing love letters to the women they left behind. Soon, others began to notice his writing, and Alex became the first person to hold the title of Coast Guard Chief Journalist. During the 1950s, Alex served as a public relations liaison, turning ordinary Coast Guard events into interesting, media-friendly accounts.

After 20 years of service, Alex left the Coast Guard to write full-time. He began freelancing, publishing articles in Playboy and Reader's Digest. His Playboy interviews with people such as Miles Davis, Johnny Carson, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, earned him a reputation as a fine writer. In fact, Alex collaborated with Malcolm X to write The Autobiography of Malcolm X(1965), a book which became very influential in the black power movement.

In 1965, Alex discovered the names of his maternal great-grandparents while reading post-Civil War documents at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. This find renewed his interest in his own genealogy. Through research and travels through Africa, Alex was able to re-construct his family's history. After a dozen years of research, he wrote Roots. Although critics deemed the book a mixture of fact and fiction, it remained an important account of African-American history. The book sold millions of copies, and inspired readers to seek their own roots. When Roots became a television mini-series, it set its own record as the most watched mini-series of all time.

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