Alex Palmer Haley

Haley, Alex Palmer (1921–92), U.S. author. His book Roots (l976) tells the story of his family, beginning in the mid-18th century with the capture of one of his African ancestors, who was taken to America as a slave. The book, which combines fiction with extensive research, was dramatized on U.S. television (1977) and earned Haley the Spingarn Medal and a citation from the Pulitzer Prize board. Haley's writing career began while he was serving in the U.S. Coast Guard (1939–59). He later became a journalist and collaborated with Malcolm X in the writing of The Autobiography of Malcolm X (1965).