Alex Haley
|
|
|
Alex Haley is the celebrated author of Roots: The Saga of an American Family (1976) By April 1977 almost two million hardcover copies of the book had been sold and 130 million people had seen all or part of the eight-episode television series Roots is considered by many critics a classic in African American literature and culture Alex Haley was born in Ithaca, New York, and raised in the small town of Henning, Tennessee His father managed the family lumber business while his mother was a schoolteacher Growing up, Haley became interested in his ancestry while listening to colorful stories told by his family These stories, which traced seven generations, would become the source and inspiration for Haley's later work School records indicate that Haley was not an exceptional student, and at the age of eighteen he joined the US Coast Guard and began a twenty-year career in the service.
He practiced his writing, at first only to cure boredom on the ship, and soon found himself writing love letters for his shipmates to send home to their wives and girlfriends He wrote serious pieces as well and submitted them to various magazines Upon retiring from the Coast Guard, Haley decided to become a full-time writer and journalist His first book, The Autobiography of Malcolm X (1965), which he cowrote with Malcolm X (1925–1965), was well-received by both critics and the public The work sold more than five million copies and launched Haley's writing career Two weeks after the book was completed, Haley began work on his next project, Roots The tale follows the life of Kunta Kinte, a proud African who was kidnapped from his village in West Africa After surviving the middle passage (the brutal shipment of Africans to be sold in the Americas), he was made a slave on a plantation in the United States Haley visited archives, libraries, and research repositories on three continents to make the book as authentic (real) as possible He even reenacted Kunta's experience during the middle passage by spending a night in the hold of a ship (the storage room below deck) stripped to his underwear.
Haley himself described Roots as a "faction," a mixture of fact and fiction Most critics agreed and evaluated Roots as a blend of history and entertainment However, some voiced concerns—especially at the time of the television series—that racial tension in America would be aggravated by Roots Many activists viewed Roots to be an important part of the civil rights movement, where African Americans and other minorities fought for equality Vernon E Jordan (1935–), the executive director of the National Urban League, called the television series "the single most spectacular educational experience in race relations in America" Speaking of the appeal of Roots among blacks, Haley added: "The blacks who are buying books are not buying them to go out and fight someone, but because they want to know who they are [The] book has touched a strong, subliminal chord" Barely two years after the book was published, Roots had already won 271 awards, and its television adaptation had been nominated for a record-breaking thirty-seven Emmys, the top awards for television programming Over eight million copies of the book were in print, and the text was translated into twenty-six languages.
In addition to fame and fortune, Roots also brought Haley controversy In 1977 two published authors, Margaret Walker and Harold Courlander, accused Haley of plagiarizing (to steal and use as one's own) their work Charges brought by Walker were later dropped, but Haley admitted that he unknowingly lifted three paragraphs from Courlander's The African (1968) A settlement was reached whereby Haley paid Courlander $500,000 Regardless of the controversies, the popularity of Roots is very clear It is still widely read in schools, and many college and university history and literature programs consider it an essential part of their assigned reading Stardom took its toll on Haley, though The New Times reported that on a trip to his ancestral village in Africa, Haley complained: "You'll find that people who celebrate you will kill you They forget you are blood and flesh and bone I have had days and weeks and months of schedules where everything from my breakfast to my last waking moment was planned for me".
Roots was so successful that the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) produced a sequel, Roots: The Next Generations, a $166-million production that ran for fourteen hours The story line of Roots II, as it was called, begins in 1882, twelve years after the end of the Roots I, and it concludes in 1967 In 1985 Haley was working on a novel set in the Appalachian culture that he had researched extensively The novel was centered around the relationships among a mountain father, son, and grandson Because this book was not about blacks but primarily about whites, Haley said of the project, "I think one of the most fascinating things you can do after you learn about your own people is to study something about the history and culture of other people" Haley also researched his paternal heritage (his father's ancestry), which became the book Queen But before he could finish the book, Haley died on February 10, 1992 (David Stevens would complete the work on Queen ) In 1993 Queen became a three-episode miniseries which aired on the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS).
Accusations surfaced about the historical accuracy of Queen, and critics questioned whether a romance had actually existed between Queen and her slave-owning master According to Melinda Henneberger in the The New York Times, the tapes left by Haley did not mention a romance between his paternal great-grandparents Producer Mark Wolper indicated "Haley had become convinced by his later inquiries … that his great-grandparents had actually been in love" Haley also planned to write a book detailing the life of millionaire Madame C J Walker (1867–1919) and her daughter A'Lelia Haley had signed a three-book contract with Ballantine for its new multicultural publishing program, for which his first title was to be a history of his hometown—Henning Those who knew Haley well say his research on Henning predated the writing of Roots Haley was buried on the grounds of his Henning homestead.
|
|
| |
|
|
Alex Haley Home and Museum
|
|
The small community of Henning, Tennessee has a big claim to fame it was the boyhood home of Alex Haley, the author of ROOTS. We visit the Alex Haley Home an...
|
|
Watch Video
|
|
|
|
|
Alex Haleys Queen Episode 1 part 1.wmv
|
|
Alex Haley's Queen.
|
|
Watch Video
|
|
|
|
|
Alex Haley Interview Roots (Merv Griffin Show 1977)
|
|
Author Alex Haley talks with Merv and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar about his bestseller "Roots", writing, the ghetto, role models and the controversy of being accused...
|
|
Watch Video
|
|
|
|
|
Alex Haley
|
|
What Tennessee town was the boyhood home of the author of Roots?
|
|
Watch Video
|
|
|
|
|
1983 Alex Haley Interview
|
|
In 1983, world renown author, Alex Haley visited Fort Wayne, IN to discuss his book and mini-series, "Roots". He appeared on the talk show, "A New Generation".
|
|
Watch Video
|
|
|
|
|
Alex Haley Tells the Story of his Search for Roots, 1 of 4
|
|
This is the first side of the two-LP set. I have yet to see it on CD so I am sharing it here.
|
|
Watch Video
|
|
|
|
|
Rare Alex Haley and Spike Lee Interview
|
|
Very rare interview from a special series Alex Haley hosted months before his death. 1992.
|
|
Watch Video
|
|
|
|
|
To Tell the Truth - Alex Haley (1972)
|
|
Here's a clip from an April 1972 episode of "To Tell the Truth". In this clip, the panel (Tom Poston, Peggy Cass, Gene Rayburn, Kitty Carlisle) have to choos...
|
|
Watch Video
|
|
|
|
|
Bro. Dick Gregory Unchained: Alex Haley is a Fraud & Django was better than Roots
|
|
ATTENTION*** What Did Dick Say??? Listen To The Entire Interviews Here: Part 1 (1/13/2013) http://bit.ly/YpEFg2 Part 2 (1/16/2013) http://bit.ly/YnuFXT Pa...
|
|
Watch Video
|
|
|
|
|
ALEX HALEY 1977
|
|
For licensing inquiries please contact Historic Films Archive (www.historicfilms.com / info@historicfilms.com) 00:47:25 ALEX HALEY: CU PHOTO OF AUTHOR ALEX H...
|
|
Watch Video
|
|
|
|
|
Alex Haley on Malcolm X مالكوم إكس
|
|
This is an excerpt from the record "Alex Haley Tells the Story of His Search for Roots" (Warner bros., 1977) where he speaks about his work with Malcolm X.
|
|
Watch Video
|
|
|
|
|
Creative Quotations from Alex Haley for Aug 11
|
|
A thought provoking collection of Creative Quotations from Alex Haley (1921-1992); born on Aug 11. US novelist, journalist; His historical fiction, "Roots," ...
|
|
Watch Video
|
|
|
|
|
alex haley 39 roots 39 part 3 of 6 youtube
|
|
No Description Available
|
|
Watch Video
|
|
|
|
|
alex haley 39 roots 39 part 1 of 6 youtube
|
|
No Description Available
|
|
Watch Video
|
|
|
|
|
Alex Haleys Queen Episode 3 Part 1
|
|
Alex Haley's Queen.
|
|
Watch Video
|
|
|
|
|
Alex Haleys Queen Episode 1 part 6
|
|
Alex Haley's Queen.
|
|
Watch Video
|
|
|
|
|
Black On Black Alex Haley part 1
|
|
Black On Black Alex Haley part 1.
|
|
Watch Video
|
|
|
|
|
Alex Haleys Queen Episode 1 part 2.wmv
|
|
Alex Haley's Queen.
|
|
Watch Video
|
|
|
|
|
Alex Haleys Queen Episode 2 part 7
|
|
Alex Haley's Queen.
|
|
Watch Video
|
|
|
|
|
ALEX HALEY,ROOTS -clip2
|
|
Bible study & lynching,Kunta Kinte / American slavery.........................By,Doctor Stevie Lundy.
|
|
Watch Video
|
|
|
|
|
Alex Haleys Queen Episode 2 part 1.wmv
|
|
Alex Haley's Queen.
|
|
Watch Video
|
|
|
|
|
Opening to Roots DVD
|
|
I like this opening to the DVD movie Roots by Alex Haley. In a few seconds the sounds and pictures tell the story of what was done to us in slavery. Don't fo...
|
|
Watch Video
|
|
|
|
|
Alex Haleys Queen Episode 2 part 4.wmv
|
|
Alex Haley's Queen.
|
|
Watch Video
|
|
|
|
|
Alex Haleys Queen Episode 1 part 3.wmv
|
|
Alex Haley's Queen.
|
|
Watch Video
|
|
|
|
|
Alex Haleys Queen Episode 3 part 3
|
|
Alex Haley's Queen.
|
|
Watch Video
|
|
|
More Video
|
|
|