Alexander Murray Palmer Haley was born on August 11, 1921 in Ithaca, NY. He was
an officer in the Coast Guard, journalist, screenwriter, and the author of numerous
articles and books. He is the author of six books.
Roots: The Saga of an American Family was published in 1976. The novel tells the
story of seven generations of the family of Kunta Kinte, born in Gambia. Kinte is taken
to the United States as a slave, and the story follows his fate and the lives of his
descendants. The book was on the New York Times best seller's list for weeks and sold
more than 15 million copies. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People (NAACP) awarded Haley the Spingarn Medal for Roots in 1977 for his literary
skill combined with his exhaustive research. The book was adapted for a television
miniseries of the same name and garnered an astounding audience of 130 million viewers.
The book has been published in 37 languages. A special Pulitzer Prize was
awarded to Roots in 1977. The TV miniseries was awarded nine Emmys and a Peabody.
The Observer wrote: "A gripping mixture of urban confessional and political manifesto,
it not only inspired a generation of black activists, but drove home the bitter realities
of racism to a mainstream white liberal audience."