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AlexPalmerHaley(1921-1992)Americanbiographer,scriptwriter,andnovelist,whosemostfamousworkisROOTS,apublishingphenomenonandinternationalbestseller.Inthiswork,HaleytracedhisancestrybacktoAfricaandcoveredsevenAmericangenerations,startingfromhisancestor,KuntaKinte.Thebookwasadaptedtotelevisionseries,andwokeupaninterestingenealogy,particularlyamongAfrican-Americans.Haleyhimselfoncesaid,thatthenovelwasnotsomuchhistoryasastudyofmythmaking:WhatRootsgetsatinwhateverform,isthatittouchesthepulseofhowalikewehumanbeingsarewhenyougetdowntothebottom,beneaththeseman-imposeddifferences.Hesaidthatthreegroupsofpeoplelivedineveryvillage.Firstwerethoseyoucouldsee-walkingaround,eating,sleeping,andworking.Secondweretheancestors,whomGrandmaYaisahadnowjoined.Andthethirdpeople-whoarethey?askedKunta.Thethirdpeople,saidOmoro,arethosewaitingtobeborn.(fromRoots)AlexHaleywasborninIthaca,NewYork,thesonofSimonAlexanderHaley,ateacher,andtheformerBerthaGeorgePalmer,alsoateacher;shediedwhenAlexwas10.SimonHaley,whowasleftwiththreechildren,remarriedtwoyearslateroneofhisteachingcolleagues,ZeonaHatcher.Thefamilymovedin1921tothesmalltownofHenning,Tennessee.Alexlivedthereforfiveyears.HisgrandfatherWillownedthelocallumbercompany.Whenhediedofaheartattack,Haley'sfatherleftschooltemporarilyandtookoverthebusiness,whichwasonthebrinkofbankruptcy.Afterfinishinghisdegree,heworkedasacollegeteacherthroughouttheSouth.InHenning,Alexheardcolorfulstoriestoldbyhismaternalgrandmother,CynthiaPalmer,whotracedthefamilygenealogytoHaley'sgreat-great-great-great-grandfatherfromthe18thcentury.HehadalwayssaidhewasanAfrican,calledKin-tay;thathewasbroughtbyslave-shiptotheNewWorldandnamedTobythere.AsHaleyrecalled:Thetimewouldbejustaboutastheduskwasdeepeningintothenight,withthelightningbugsflickeringonandoffaroundthehoneysucklevines,andeveryeveningIcanremember,unlesstherewassomelocalprioritygossip,alwaystheywouldtalkaboutthesamethings–snatchesandpatchesofwhatlaterI'dlearnwasthelong,cumulativefamilynarrativethathadbeenpasseddownacrossthegenerations.Haleydidnotexcelatschooloruniversity.From1937to1939,hestudiedatElizabethCityTeachersCollegeinNorthCarolina,butdecidedtoquit.In1941,hemarriedNannieBranch,whomhehadmetduringoneofhisleavesonshore.Theyhadtwochildren.Themarriageendedindivorcein1964,andinthesameyearHaleymarriedJulietteCollins;theyhadonedaughter.Afterdivorcein1972,HaleymarriedtheformerMyraLewis,Ph.D.andatelevisionscriptwriter;shehadbeenoneofhisresearchesontheRootsproject.I'mjustnotastationaryhusband,Haleyonceconfessed.Atthetimeofhisdeath,Haleywassepararedfromher.DuringWWII,HaleyenlistedintheCoastGuardasamessboy.HeservedfirstontheU.S.S.Murzin,acargo-ammunitionvessel,thatsailedontheSouthwestPacific.Tostaveofftheboredom,andgettinganewrating–ChiefJournalist,apublicrelationsposition,especiallycreatedforhim–Haleystartedtowriteadventurestories.Forhisfellowsailorshecomposedloveletters,whichtheysenttotheirgirlfriendsandwives;forofficershewrotespeeches.OtherwritingsHaleysubmittedformagazinesforeightyearsandreceivedcountlessrejectionslips,beforehisfirsttextwaspublished.However,duringthesefrustratingyearshelearnedthebasicsofstorytelling.Hailey'snewstationbecameNewYorkCity.In1949,hesoldthreestoriesonthehistoryoftheCoastGuardtoCoronet,apopularmen'smagazine.AbandoningplanstoreturntoNorthCarolina,HaleydecidedtostaywiththeCoastGuard.In1954,HaileywastransferredtoSanFrancisco,wherehefirsttimeheardofthecharismaticyoungspokespersonMalcolmX,buttheymetfiveyearslaterinHarlem,attheTempleNumberSevenRestaurant,inthesummerof1959.Attheageof37,aftertwentyyearsofservice,HaleylefttheCoastGuardwiththerankofChiefJournalist,andmovedbacktoNewYorktobecomeafull-timewriter.Foraperiodhelivedinaone-roombasementapartmentinGreenwichVillage,firsttryingtofindaregularjobwithoutmuchsuccess,andthenwriting16to18hoursadayforsevendaysaweek,asheoncerecalled.HisnewfriendsincludedJamesBaldwin,whocheeredhimup,andC.EricLincoln,authorofTheBlackMuslimsinAmerica.HaleycontributedtoReader'sDigestbiographicalfeatures,interviewedMilesDavisforPlayboy,andgainedthefameofbeingnotoriouslylateondeadlines.Haley'sPlayboyInteviewsalsoincludedconversationswithsuchfiguresasJimBrown,CassiusClay,SammyDavisJr.,QuincyJones,andLeontynePrice.THEAUTOBIOGRAPHYOFMALCOLMX(1965),hisfirstmajorwork,wasfinishedjusttwoweeksbeforetheshootingoftheAmericanrevolutionary.ThebookhadanimmenseeffectontheblackpowermovementintheUnitedStates.Beforepublishingit,HaleyworkedwiththespokesmanfortheNationofIslam(BlackMuslim)movement,MalcolmX(MalcolmLittle,1925-1965),fornearlytwoyears,oneyearwritingthetext.FromtheirconversationshecreatedthestoryofMalcolmX,toldinhisownwords.Thebooksoldmorethansixmillioncopiesby1977intheUnitedStatesandothercountries.Haley:WhatmotivesdoyouimputetoPlayboyforprovidingyouwiththisopportunityforthefreediscussionofyourviews?MalcolmX:Ithinkyouwanttosellmagazines.I'veneverseenasincerewhiteman,notwhenitcomestohelpingblackpeople.Usuallythingslikethisaredonebywhitepeopletobenefitthemselves.Thewhiteman'sprimaryinterestisnottoelevatethethinkingofblackpeople,orto