Alex Haley
Alex Haley was an American writer best known for *Roots: The Saga of an American Family* (1976), which traced his ancestry from an African village through slavery to freedom.
The book and its television adaptation had enormous cultural impact, spurring widespread interest in genealogy and African American history.
He also wrote *The Autobiography of Malcolm X* (1965), based on extensive interviews with the civil rights leader.
Family line of descent
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
- lineageDescent from progenitors
- slaveryOwnership of people
- AfricaSecond-largest continent
Kunta Kinte · Gambia · family tree · descendants · forebears · bloodline · kinship · clan
Creator of texts
- novelistWriter of prose narratives
- autobiographySelf-penned life narrative
- manuscriptOriginal text before publication
- publishingDistributing written works publicly
Malcolm X · editor · prose · narrative · characterization · plot · dialogue · bestseller
African oral tradition keeper
- oral traditionCulture passed by speech
- narrativeAccount of events
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
- taleSpoken or written narrative
anecdote · saga · narrator · chronicle · epic · legend · raconteur · family stories
Study of Black American experience
- civil rightsGuaranteed individual legal protections
- cultural identityBelonging through shared traditions
- heritage tourismVisiting historically significant places
- TennesseeSixteenth state admitted
museum · miniseries · television · adaptation · impact · inspiration · representation
News gathering and dissemination
- awardHonor given for merit
- recognitionPerceiving something as known
- achievementAccomplished goal or deed
- honorsRecognition for achievement
laureate · Coast Guard · interview · reporting · Playboy · magazine
ancestry
Family line of descent
Kunta Kinte · Africa · Gambia · family tree · descendants · forebears · bloodline · kinship · clan · tribe
writer
Creator of texts
- novelistWriter of prose narratives
- autobiographySelf-penned life narrative
- manuscriptOriginal text before publication
Malcolm X · publishing · editor · prose · narrative · characterization · plot · dialogue · bestseller · collaboration
griot
African oral tradition keeper
- oral traditionCulture passed by speech
- narrativeAccount of events
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
tale · anecdote · saga · narrator · chronicle · epic · legend · raconteur · family stories · preservation
African American history
Study of Black American experience
- civil rightsGuaranteed individual legal protections
- cultural identityBelonging through shared traditions
- heritage tourismVisiting historically significant places
Tennessee · museum · miniseries · television · adaptation · impact · inspiration · representation
journalism
News gathering and dissemination
- awardHonor given for merit
- recognitionPerceiving something as known
- achievementAccomplished goal or deed
honors · laureate · Coast Guard · interview · reporting · Playboy · magazine
- Black Literatureblack literature, black authors, slave narratives, Harlem Renaissance, Toni Morrison
- Historical NovelistsKen Follett, Gore Vidal, Alexandre Dumas, Sir Walter Scott
- TennesseansDolly Parton, Elvis Presley, Andrew Jackson, Davy Crockett, Al Gore