Alex Haley

Alexander Palmer Haley (August 11, 1921 - February 10, 1992) was an African American writer (though he was also proud of his Irish and Cherokee ancestry). He is best known for his book '.

Life

Born in Ithaca, New York, Haley grew up in the Southern U.S. and served in the Coast Guard on May 24, 1939. He enlisted as a Seaman and then became a third class Petty Officer in the rate of Mess Attendant, one of the only enlisted designators open to African Americans at that time.

Related Topics:
Ithaca, New York - Coast Guard - 1939 - Petty Officer - Mess Attendant

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After World War II, Haley was able to petition the Coast Guard to allow him to cross rate into the field of journalism, and by 1949 he had become a First Class Petty Officer in the rate of Journalist. He later advanced to the rank of Chief Petty Officer and held this grade until his retirement from the Coast Guard in 1959.

Related Topics:
World War II - 1949 - Chief Petty Officer - 1959

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Alex Haley's awards and decorations from the Coast Guard include the American Defense Service Medal (w/"Sea" clasp), American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Coast Guard Good Conduct Medal (w/1 silver and 1 bronze service star), Korean Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal, and the Coast Guard Expert Marksmanship Medal.

Related Topics:
American Defense Service Medal - "Sea" clasp - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal - European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal - Coast Guard Good Conduct Medal - Service star - Korean Service Medal - National Defense Service Medal - United Nations Service Medal - Coast Guard Expert Marksmanship Medal

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Haley is also entitled to the Korean War Service Medal, but never received this decoration in his lifetime as it was retroactively issued ten years after his death.

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After the retirement he became a senior editor for Reader's Digest. He is also noted for having done several interviews for Playboy Magazine in the US: most famously with American Nazi Party figurehead George Lincoln Rockwell.

Related Topics:
Reader's Digest - Playboy Magazine - George Lincoln Rockwell

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In 1965 Haley wrote The Autobiography of Malcolm X, based on interviews conducted shortly before Malcolm's death (and with an epilogue for after it). The book was published in 1972 and had a huge success, being later named by Time magazine one of the ten most important nonfiction books of the 20th century.

Related Topics:
1965 - The Autobiography of Malcolm X - Interview - Malcolm - 1972 - Time magazine - Nonfiction books - 20th century

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In 1976 Haley published Roots, a fictionalized account of his family's history, starting with the story of Kunta Kinte, kidnapped in Gambia in 1767 to be sold as a slave in North America. Roots won the Pulitzer Prize and went on to become a popular television miniseries. The book and film were both successful, reaching a record-breaking 130 million viewers when it was serialized on television. Roots emphasized that African Americans also have a long history and that not all of that history is lost, as many believed. Its popularity sparked an increased public interest in genealogy, as well.

Related Topics:
1976 - Kunta Kinte - Gambia - 1767 - Slave - North America - Pulitzer Prize - Television - Miniseries - Genealogy

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In the late 1980s, Haley began working on a second historical novel based on another branch of his family, traced through his grandmother Queen - the daughter of a black slave woman and her white master. Haley died before he could complete the story; at his request, it was finished by David Stevens and was published as '. It was subsequently made into a movie in 1993.

Related Topics:
1980s - David Stevens - 1993

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