The giving and getting, the sense of belonging and contributing to something larger than yourself, to something that began before you were born and will go on after you die, can make it possible for you to accept life in a way that makes you wish the whole world could realize how easy it is to feel as you do, and wonder why they don’t. That’s what having roots—and writing Roots—has done for me.

I pray that reading it—and then reaching out for their families to join in a search of their own—will do the same for everyone.

Excerpted from A Candid Conversation With The Author of The American Saga “Roots” by Murray Fisher ~ Playboy, January 1977.

Alex Haley Articles

• A Word From Alex Haley - An Article By Alex Haley Speaking About His Love For Libraries And Librarians. (January 1, 1991)
  
  
• Aboard The African Star - The Candid Article In Which Alex Haley Reveals His Early Struggles As A Writer. (October 10, 1991)
  
  
• The Shadowland of Dreams - A Classic Article Where Alex Haley Describes What Living In The Shadowland Is All About. (March 1996)
  
  
• Writing Three Thank-You Letters - Alex Haley Celebrates The True Meaning of Thanksgiving By Writing Three Very Special Letters.
  

Alex Haley Essays

• Ernie Barnes / Artist - His Unique Depiction of The African American Experience And His Vivid Imagination Is Reflected In His Artwork.
  
  
• The Oral History Reader (Routledge Readers in History) - An Essay By Alex Haley Entitled Black History, Oral History and Genealogy.
  
  
• The Prevailing South: Life & Politics In A Changing Culture - An Essay By Alex Haley Entitled Out of The Past, Into The Convention.
  

Alex Haley Forewords And Introductions

• Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben, And Rastus - Chronicles African Americans’ First Appearances In Advertisements In The U.S.
  
  
• Climbing Your Family Tree - Online And Off-Line Genealogy For Kids Is A Complete Guide For The Ancestor Detector.
  
  
• Daufuskie Island - Photographs of Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe And Words of Alex Haley Express Early Life On The Island.
  
  
• Encyclopedia of Southern Culture - Offers An Extraordinary Portrait of One of The Nation’s Richest Cultural Landscapes.
  
  
• Ethnic Genealogy: A Research Guide - A Single Volume Reference Tool For Librarians, Researchers, Archivists And Genealogists.
  
  
• From Freedom To Freedom: African Roots In American Soil - Selected Readings Based On Roots: The Saga of An American Family.
  
  
• I Have a Dream: A Collection of Black Americans On U.S. Postage Stamps - Commemorates Individuals Who Have Made A Difference.
  
  
• I Sought My Brother: An Afro-American Reunion - Traces The Discovery of The Well-Preserved African Presence In The New World.
  
  
• Making Schools Work: Strategies For Changing Education - Marcus A. Foster Was The First Black Superintendent of Oakland Schools.
  
  
• Marva Collins’ Way: Returning To Excellence In Education - An Inspiring Story About One of America’s Most Effective Educators.
  
  
• Movin’ Up: Pop Gordy Tells His Story - The Autobiography of A Son of A Slave And Father of The Founder of Motown Records.
  
  
• Somerset Homecoming: Recovering A Lost Heritage - Dorothy Redford’s Efforts To Recover The History of Her Enslaved Ancestors.
  
  
• The Heritage of Blacks In North Carolina - A Volume of Personal Genealogical Studies of A Statewide Group of Afro-Americans.
  
  
• The Oratory of Negro Leaders: 1900-1968 - Examines The Personal And Professional Lives of Many Famous Black Orators.
  
  
• They That Go Down To The Sea - A Bicentennial Pictorial History of The United States Coast Guard From 1790-1990.
  
  
• Tom Bradley: The Impossible Dream - A Biography About The Very First African American Elected Mayor of Los Angeles.
  
  
• Uncle Sam Must Be Losing The War: Black Marines of The 51st - Bill Downey Describes His Experiences And Duties As A Black Marine.
  

Professional Works By Others That Alex Haley Was Featured Within

• Great African Americans in Literature - A Great African Americans Series Featuring Profiles of Major Literary Figures.
  
  
• Let Freedom Ring - A Pictorial Celebration By The Winners of The Parade-Kodak National Photo Contest.
  
  
• Muhammad Ali: Ringside - This Book Is Dedicated To One of The Most Popular Athlete-Entertainers of All Time.
  
  
• The Black Rose - The Story of Madam C.J. Walker Based On The Research And Writing of Alex Haley.
  

For Personal Interviews Given By And Given To Alex Haley, Please Visit Our Interviews Page

Experience The Vision of Alex Haley • Visit The Alex Haley Museum • The Alex Haley Memorial • Haley Heritage Square

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