Alex Haley

“Roots changed the way we think about race in this country and profoundly affected the lives of many people. We are proud to present these important and timeless works by Haley that broaden our nation’s understanding and appreciation of the black experience in America.” - Jackie Leo, Editor-In-Chief, Reader’s Digest. For the first time ever, Reader’s Digest is publishing Alex Haley: The Man Who Traced America’s Roots—a collection of articles the Pulitzer Prize-winning author wrote for Reader’s Digest from 1954 to 1991. In this 176-page paperback book, Haley shares stories of triumph and resilience, of race and inequality, and the search that led to the groundbreaking book and TV miniseries, Roots. This special collection includes an excerpt from Roots and the candid article “Aboard The African Star” in which Haley reveals his struggles as a professional writer and as a man. This edition also features an introduction from Lawrence Otis Graham, one of the nation’s leading experts on race, politics and class in America. At a 1966 gathering with Reader’s Digest editors and co-founder, Lila Acheson Wallace, Haley pitched the idea of traveling to Africa to write a “story history” of his family. Reader’s Digest financially supported Haley’s research efforts over the next eight years as he traveled three continents and traced seven generations of ancestors across half a million miles. In 1974, Reader’s Digest published the first excerpts from Roots in a breakthrough article. This special edition also includes an additional chapter entitled What Roots Means To Me, featuring testimonials from Colin Powell, B.B. King, Robert Johnson and Halle Berry.

The Autobiography of Malcolm X is the remarkable true story of an African-American man’s rise—from street hustler, dope peddler, and thief—to one of the most dynamic and influential African-American leaders in modern America. The Autobiography of Malcolm X spans four decades: from his birth on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska, to his tragic assassination on February 21, 1965 in New York City. As one of eight children of the Reverend Earl and Louise Little, Malcolm Little (as he was named at birth) grew up amidst poverty and racial prejudice. His father, the Reverend Little, was a Baptist minister and organizer for Marcus Garvey’s UNIA (Universal Negro Improvement Association). As Garvey’s disciple, the Reverend Little crusaded throughout the Midwest with his family, preaching and encouraging his congregation to return to their ancestral homeland, Africa. In 1931, when Malcolm was six years old, his father was brutally murdered in Lansing, Michigan. Although never proven, it was believed that the Reverend Little had been killed by a local hate group. Life for the Little family changed drastically after that. Their financial problems worsened. In addition, Mrs. Little, suffering from enormous anxiety and stress caused by the responsibility of raising eight children, was eventually institutionalized. Consequently, in 1937, the Little children were separated; they lived with friends, foster families, or on their own in Lansing. Malcolm attended school only through the eighth grade. He spent much of his teenage years on the streets of Boston, Chicago, and New York City’s Harlem. In February 1946, at the age of 20, Malcolm was convicted of robbery and sentenced to a ten-year prison term. There he underwent a moral and spiritual transformation when he discovered the teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam. Known as the “Messenger of Allah” (Allah is the Muslim god), Muhammad instilled a sense of admiration and self-respect among his black followers by his condemnation of white people. He blamed whites for the abject conditions of black people in North America, and felt that the only way to resolve the Longstanding injustices was through black separatism. In 1953, upon his release from prison, Malcolm X (the name change “X” stood for his long-lost African name) was appointed assistant minister for the Nation of Islam movement. He traveled across the United States and eloquently preached about his newfound religion, converting thousands of black people. In late 1963, Elijah Muhammad suspended Malcolm X from the Nation of Islam because of their differences on the fundamental precepts and strategies of the Black Muslims. In 1964, Malcolm X made his first pilgrimage to Mecca. As a result of this visit, he established the Organization for Afro-American Unity, since he was determined to work proactively in the struggle for racial equality. Rather than adhere to the Nation of Islam’s “non-engagement policy,” Malcolm was intent on developing political strategies to combat America’s racism. Hostilities between Malcolm X and the Black Muslims heightened. He began receiving anonymous death threats. On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated. Although three men were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for his murder, the question of who ordered Malcolm X’s assassination remains a mystery. Malcolm X is survived by his wife, Betty Shabazz, and four daughters. in 1992, the African-American film director, Spike Lee, made a film, Malcolm X based on The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Denzel Washington portrayed Malcolm X in this critically-acclaimed motion picture. - Excerpted from the Introduction.

Dragon Parade is a fictionalized account of Norman Ah Sing who is a successful, newly-arrived Chinese grocer in San Francisco of the 1850s. He is thrilled to be in the Land of the Golden Mountain. He talks to other Chinese owners and plans a Chinese New year like they had in China. This prompts him to invite all to celebrate the Lunar New Year and to organize the first big celebration in 1851 Chinatown. Steven A. Chin is a published author of children’s books. Some of his published credits include: Dragon Parade: A Chinese New Year Story, When Justice Failed: The Fred Korematsu Story (Stories of America) and The Success of Gordon H. Chong and Associates. Mou-Sien Tseng has contributed to Dragon Parade: A Chinese New Year Story (Stories of America) as an illustrator. Tseng, who was born and raised in Taiwan, is the only artist living outside China to have received the Golden Globe Award for excellence in Chinese painting from the National Art Association in Taiwan. Note: The most vibrant and colorful festival in the Chinese calendar is the Lunar New Year when the whole of Chinatown is ablaze with lights from ceremonial red lanterns, and the streets are bedecked with traditional decorations mainly in red, the color of good luck. The celebration starts with family reunion dinner on New Year’s Eve, followed by visitations over the next few days. Alex Haley, as General Editor, wrote the introduction.

Save The Everglades describes the successful efforts of concerned citizens to stop construction of a jetport that would have destroyed the Florida Everglades. Save The Everglades is accurate account of how very different people who all shared a love of nature fought to stop political leaders and real estate developers in Miami, Florida from building what would have been the world’s largest airport, just a few miles from Everglades National Park and within the Big Cypress Swamp, the wildest and richest part of the Florida Everglades. Hunters, alligator poachers, Miccosukee Indians, school children and environmental leaders, Joe Browder and Marjory Stoneman Douglas, started a national campaign that convinced President Nixon of the United States to withdraw federal money and permits for the airport project, and then to buy the Big Cypress and make it part of the Everglades protected by the National Parks System. Judith Bauer Stamper is a published author of several children’s books. Some of her published credits include: Save The Everglades (Stories of America), Magic School Bus: The Wild Leaf Ride (Turtleback) and Go, Fractions! (All Aboard Math Reader) Allen Davis is a published author and illustrator of children’s books. Some of his published credits include: Save The Everglades (Stories of America), Peter Pan (Great Illustrated Classics) and Chipmunk at Hollow Tree Lane (Smithsonian’s Backyard Series). Alex Haley, as General Editor, wrote the introduction.

Alex Haley, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Roots, tells about his great-great-grandfather who came to Alabama from Ireland, married a slave and then fathered a daughter—Haley’s grandmother, Queen. The story begins in Ireland, where Haley’s white great-great-grandfather, James Jackson, Sr., is born. From there we travel with Jackson to Nashville, where he meets Andrew Jackson, the future president of the United States. The two men become business partners and James Jackson makes his fortune. He establishes his grand plantation, The Forks of Cypress, in Alabama, while Andrew ascends to the White House, and the rumblings that will explode into the Civil War gather force. James’s son, Jass Jackson, inherits the plantation just as the genteel, well-ordered antebellum world begins to crumble. His adolescent attraction to the beautiful and strongwilled slave named Easter blossoms into a powerful and lasting love, and from their passionate union comes Queen—the heroine of the tale, Alex Haley’s grandmother. This is history at its most compelling—from the Irish sod to the settlement of the South; from the Trail of Tears to the battlefield at Manassas; from the agonies of slavery to the tribulations of freedom—all rendered with the eye for telling detail and the sense of historical significance that readers have come to expect of Haley. A miniseries adaptation called Alex Haley’s Queen and starring Halle Berry, Danny Glover, Tim Daly, Ann-Margret and Ossie Davis aired on CBS on February 14, 1993.

Dame Shirley and the Gold Rush relates how a series of letters, written by a woman known as Dame Shirley and published in a San Francisco magazine in 1854 and 1855, were instrumental in inciting the California gold rush. Dame Shirley was the pen name Louise Amelia Knapp Smith Clappe used to write about her experiences during the Gold Rush. She and her husband traveled out to California seeking the adventure and prosperity that the rugged country "with gold laying all about" had to offer. After the difficult journey there, she saw that life in a mining camp was often dangerous and disappointing. She wrote about her experiences in letters to her sister, now known as the Gold Rush letters. When printed, her letters brought readers the truth about life in a mining camp, and they were widely circulated, and she became something of a celebrity! Written for young readers, this biographical story of Dame Shirley’s experiences is based on her letters, giving readers a firsthand account. James J. Rawls is a published author of several children’s books. Some of his published credits include Dame Shirley and the Gold Rush (Stories of America), Land of Liberty: A United States History and Never Turn Back: Father Serra’s Mission (Stories of America). John Holder is a published author and an illustrator of several children’s books. Some of his published credits include Dame Shirley and the Gold Rush (Stories of America), Funny Bones and Other Body Parts: How It Works (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers) and A Christmas Carol (Ladybird Classics). Alex Haley, as General Editor, wrote the introduction.

We Want Jobs! uses the experiences of an unemployed steel worker and his family in Pittsburgh to describe the events of the economic depression that gripped America from 1929 through 1933. In Pittsburgh, steelworker John Waskowitz and his family were already suffering from the effects of the Great Depression like millions of others in 1929. As factories cut back on work days or closed altogether, many people found themselves jobless. Despair grips the nation. John was so desperate for work that he walked ten miles out of town, only to find factory after factory along his route shut down. Many give up, John, with scores of other unemployed Americans, begins the call for government action. Robert J. Norrell is a published author of several children’s books. Some of his published credits include: We Want Jobs!: A Story of The Great Depression (Stories of America), Up from History: The Life of Booker T. Washington and Promising Field (Hardcover). John Waskowitz is a published author of several children’s books. Some of her published credits include: We Want Jobs!: A Story of The Great Depression (Stories of America), Tales From The Underground Railroad (Stories of America) and Dust Bowl Days: Hard Times For Farmers (Voices from America’s Past). Jan Naimo Jones is a published author and an illustrator of several children’s books. Some of her published credits include: We Want Jobs!: A Story of The Great Depression (Stories of America), These Lands Are Ours: Tecumseh’s Fight For The Old Northwest (Stories of America) and Grandma, What Is Prayer? (Hardcover Edition) Alex Haley, as General Editor, wrote the introduction.

Never Turn Back: Father Serra’s Mission describes the life of the Spanish priest, Father Junípero Serra, who established missions in California in the late eighteenth century and discusses the lack of understanding between him and the Indians he came to convert. In 1769, Father Serra journeys to Alta California to found a Roman Catholic mission among the American Indian people. If successful, it will be the first Spanish settlement in present-day California. Father Serra is an extremely important figure in the development of present-day California. His missions not only served as the centerpiece to the development of Catholicism in California, but also as a key foundation to the growth of metropolitan cities such as San Francisco, San Jose and San Diego. Father Junípero Serra’s legacy still remains along the former El Camino Real (the present-day Highway 101 & San Diego Freeway) in the form of twenty-one missions, nine of which he personally founded and developed. Each mission has its own individual identity, history, and unique traditions. The Mission System was implemented under the guidelines of the Catholic Church and the Spanish government. They were set up to become the primary center of evangelization to Christianize the Native Americans, and also were designed to train the natives to become successful tradespeople in the new Spanish society. Alex Haley, as General Editor, wrote the introduction.

The Mountain Man And The President discusses how the friendship between naturalist John Muir and President Theodore Roosevelt brought about government protection of America’s wilderness. Naturalist John Muir and President Roosevelt meet for the first time on a camping trip in the spring of 1903. The two men share a love of the great American wilderness and meet to discuss its future. John Muir is often referred to as “The Father of the National Park Service” He was many things, inventor, immigrant, botanist, glaciologist, writer, co-founder of the Sierra Club and fruit rancher. But it was John Muir’s love of nature, and the preservation of it, that we can thank him for today. John Muir convinced President Theodore Roosevelt to protect Yosemite (including Yosemite Valley), Sequoia, Grand Canyon and Mount Rainier as National Parks. David L. Weitzman is a published author and illustrator of young adult and children’s books. Some of his published credits include: The Mountain Man And The President (Stories of America), Brown Paper School Book: My Backyard History Book and Now Is Your Time! and The John Bull: A British Locomotive Comes to America. Charles Shaw is a published author and illustrator of young adult and children’s books. Some of his published credits include: The Mountain Man And The President (Stories of America), The Crippled Champion, The King Ranch Racehorse and Horned Toad Canyon. Alex Haley, as General Editor, wrote the introduction.

New Friends in a New Land: A Thanksgiving Story describes the Pilgrims’ first year in Plymouth, Massachusetts and the first Thanksgiving. Damaris, a young Pilgrim girl newly arrived from England on the Mayflower, is a little afraid of her new Plymouth home. Gradually, she and the others in her group become friends with their Native American neighbors and celebrate a thanksgiving feast together. Judith Bauer Stamper is a published author of children’s books. Some of her published credits include New Friends In A New Land: A Thanksgiving Story (Stories of America), Space Race (Hello Reader! Phonics Fun) and Penguin Puzzle (The Magic School Bus). Chet Jezierski is a published illustrator of children’s books. Some of his published credits include New Friends In A New Land: A Thanksgiving Story (Stories of America), The Wapshot Chronicle and Women in Crisis: Lives of Struggle and Hope (Leather Bound). Alex Haley, as General Editor, wrote the introduction.

Biografía del líder negro americano religioso y activista que nació Malcolm Little, publicado en 1965. Escrito por Alex Haley, que había llevado a cabo extensas entrevistas grabadas con Malcolm X antes de su asesinato en 1965, el libro ganó fama como un trabajo clásico en negro experiencia americana. La autobiografía es contada a través de la voz en primera persona de Malcolm X con contenido añadido y narrativa proporcionada por Alex Haley. Aunque a veces auto-engrandecimiento, Malcolm X habla de su extraordinaria transformación de un niño cuyo padre fue asesinado por racistas blancos, a un joven estafador y traficante de drogas en Harlem, Nueva York, a un erudito autodidacta en la cárcel, a un destacado líder y ministro de la Nación del Islam, y, finalmente, a un hombre transformado por su viaje a África y a la Meca y se marca como una amenaza por parte de los líderes de la Nación del Islam. A través de una vida de pasión y lucha, Malcolm X se convirtió en una de las figuras más influyentes del siglo 20. Aquí, el hombre que se hacía llamar "el hombre más enojado Negro en América" ​​relata cómo su conversión al Islam le ayudó a enfrentarse a su ira y reconocer la hermandad de toda la humanidad. Un clásico establecida de la América moderna, la autobiografía de Malcolm X fue aclamado por el New York Times como "Extraordinaria. Una brillante, libro doloroso, importante. "La fuerza de sus palabras, el poder de sus ideas siguen resonando más de una generación después de su aparición.

When Justice Failed relates the life and experiences of the Japanese American who defied the order of internment during World War II and took his case as far as the Supreme Court. After the Japanese Navy attacks Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the United States and Japan are at war. For over one hundred thousand Japanese Americans, the war brings special tragedy. One and all, they are all rounded up by the United States Army and imprisoned in internment camps. Fred Korematsu challenges his arrest and the treatment of Japanese Americans during the war. Fred Korematsu’s case is heard at the US. Supreme Court, and he loses the case. In 1983, evidence that has been suppressed by the government lawyers, was presented in San Francisco Federal Court, and the government had to admit its error in the Supreme Court case. Ultimately, the government apologized and made reparations to all of those internees still alive. Steven A. Chin is a published author of children’s books. Some of his published credits include Dragon Parade: A Chinese New Year Story, When Justice Failed: The Fred Korematsu Story (Stories of America) and The Success of Gordon H. Chong and Associates. David Tamura has contributed to When Justice Failed: The Fred Korematsu Story (Stories of America) as an illustrator. Tseng, who was born and raised in Taiwan, is the only artist living outside China to have received the Golden Globet Award for excellence in Chinese painting from the National Art Association in Taiwan. Alex Haley, as General Editor, wrote the introduction.

All For The Better: A Story of El Barrio is about a young Puerto Rican girl, Evelina Lopez Antonetty, who showed herself over and over again to be a leader. She proved that one person could make a difference. It was her faith in humanity and her love of all people that helped her succeed. She is remembered by people in the South Bronx and throughout the larger Puerto Rican community. During the dark days of the Great Depression, eleven-year-old Evelina Lopez Antonetty leaves Puerto Rico to live with an aunt in New York and encounters prejudice and hardships. With patience and determination, she finds success and learns that one person can make a difference as she adjusts to life in her new home. Nicholasa Mohr is a published author of several young adult and children’s books. Some of her published credits include: All For The Better: A Story of El Barrio (Stories of America), The Dust Bowl Adventures of Patty and Earl Buckler (I Am American) and Yankee Blue or Rebel Gray: The Civil War Adventures of Sam Shaw. Alex Haley, as General Editor, wrote the introduction.

Walking For Freedom is an illustrated novel that recounts how the Montgomery, Alabama black community organized and participated in the 1955 bus boycott which ended segregation on public buses. On December 1, 1955, when a tired Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on a city bus in Montgomery, Alabama, the police were called and she was arrested. In a show of unity and support for Mrs. Parks, the African American community of Montgomery launched a boycott of city buses. Together they organized a peaceful protest to challenge the unfair segregation laws in America. After 381 days of taking taxis, carpooling, and walking the hostile streets of Montgomery, African Americans eventually won their fight to desegregate seating on public buses, not only in Montgomery, but throughout the United States. Richard Kelso is a published author and an editor of several children’s books. Some of his published credits include: Walking for Freedom: The Montgomery Bus Boycott (Stories of America), Building a Dream: Mary Bethune’s School (Stories of America) and Days of Courage: The Little Rock Story (Stories of America). Michael Newton is a published author and an illustrator of young adult and children’s books. Some of his published credits include: Walking for Freedom: The Montgomery Bus Boycott (Stories of America), Savage Girls and Wild Boys: A History of Feral Children, and Gangs and Gang Crimes (Criminal Investigations). Alex Haley, as General Editor, wrote the introduction.

"Alex Haley, autor de la muldialmente famosa Raíces, nos ofrece aquí el intenso drama vivido por un blanco aristócrata sureño y un esclavo negro, hermandados en la búsqueda de un objetivo común: la fuga de numerosos esclavos que sueñan con obtener su libertad y su dignidad en el lejano Norte. Una navidad diferente es un inolvidable relato de regeneración espiritual, animado por un riguroso conocimiento de la época, una poética dimensión humana y un logrado sentido del humor, una obra que conmueve las fibras más íntimas del lector, dejando una huella imborrable en su conciencia".

Alex Haley’s Roots is one of the world’s most beloved and important books. In A Different Kind of Christmas, the intense drama of a white Southerner and a black slave who work toward a common goal, Alex Haley once again gives us a moving story of physical and moral courage, and an unforgettable tale of spiritual regeneration. Rendered with a matchless sense of time and place, a poetic humanness, and a rich, robust humor, this novel will delight and inspire readers of all ages and faith for generations to come. A Different Kind of Christmas is the story of Fletcher Randall, a nineteen-year-old white Southerner from North Carolina whose politically powerful father is a plantation owner, and, of course, a slave owner. The time is 1855 and all Fletcher knows and believes about slavery he has learned from his father. But Fletcher goes to school up North, and one or two of his Princeton classmates talk about how wrong slavery is until Fletcher begins to think for himself—and he becomes a traitor to his background, to his family, by conspiring to aid in a mass escape of slaves on the Underground Railroad. His partner in this plan is a black slave by the name Harpin’ John, a man who plays the harmonica so sweetly it could make a grown man cry. Christmas Eve is the secret date set for the escape. How these two men of such incredibly opposing backgrounds join together to achieve the goal of freedom makes A Different Kind of Christmas soar with unforgettable inspiration. It is a timeless tale of spiritual regeneration, moral courage, and powerful humanness, meaningful and memorable to readers of all faiths and ages.

Marva Collins offers a beacon of hope in the midst of America’s educational crises. In this work, Marva Collins recounts her successful teaching strategies and offers inspirational advice on how to motivate children to fulfill their potential. This 1990 updated edition contains a new epilogue for parents and teachers. Teachers need nothing more than “books, a blackboard, and a pair of legs that will last the day,” Marva Collins told Dan Hurley in 50 Plus magazine. These three things were essentially all that Collins had when she opened the Westside Preparatory School in Chicago, Illinois, in 1975 with the $5,000 she had contributed to her pension fund. Disillusioned after teaching in the public school system for 16 years, Collins decided to leave and open a school that would welcome students who had been rejected by other schools and labeled disruptive and “unteachable.” She had seen too many children pass through an ineffective school system in which they were given impersonal teachers, some of whom came to school chemically impaired. A firm believer in the value of a teacher’s time spent with a student, Collins rejected the notion that the way to solve the problems faced by U.S. schools was to spend more money. Collins also shunned the audiovisual aids so common in other classrooms because she believed that they created an unnecessary distance between the teacher and the student. By offering a plethora of individual attention tempered with strict discipline and a focus on reading skills, Collins was able to raise the test scores of many students, who in turn went on to college and excelled. “It takes an investment of time to help your children mature and develop successfully,” declared Collins in Ebony. Marva Collins has received many accolades in recognition of her outstanding work with children. She was featured on Good Morning, America, 20/20, Fox News, and many more programs. A made-for-television movie titled, The Marva Collins Story starred Cicely Tyson and Morgan Freeman first aired in 1982, and is still presented on television. Alex Haley contributed to Marva Collins’ Way: Returning to Excellence in Education by writing the foreword.

Roots is a groundbreaking story of history and family that spanned continents and touched generations. One of the most important books and television series ever to appear, Roots galvanized the nation and created an extraordinary political, racial, social and cultural dialogue that hadn’t been seen since the publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Roots is a novel written by Alex Haley and published in 1976. It portrays the story of Kunta Kinte, an 18th-century African, captured as an adolescent and sold into slavery in the United States, and follows his life and the lives of his alleged descendants in the U.S. down to Haley. The release of the novel, combined with its hugely popular television adaptation, Roots (1977), led to a cultural sensation in the United States. The novel spent 46 weeks on The New York Times Best Seller List, including 22 weeks in that list’s top spot. The book sold over one million copies in the first year, and the miniseries was watched by an astonishing 130 million people. It also won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. The last seven chapters of the novel were later adapted in the form of a second mini-series, Roots: The Next Generations, in 1979.

A Matter of Conscience recounts Anne Marbury Hutchinson’s struggle with the Puritan Church over its rigid theocratic control of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, her trial for heresy and sedition, and her banishment from the colony. Anne Hutchinson defends her religious faith against the leaders of the Puritan community in colonial Boston. Put on trial for following her conscious, she faces imprisonment and possible banishment in a contest of wills. Information about the events in this story comes mainly from the transcripts of Anne Hutchinson’s trial and from John Winthrop’s journals and letters. All words shown in quotation marks were actually spoken by the people in the story. Speeches and thoughts not in quotation marks. are paraphrases based on the beliefs, values, thoughts, attitudes, and opinions held by those involved. Joan Kane Nichols is a published author of several young adult and children’s books. Some of her published credits include: A Matter of Conscience: The Trial of Anne Hutchinson (Stories of America), Mary Shelley: Frankenstein’s Creator (Barnard Biography Series) and The Civil War Sisterhood (Scott Foresman Social Studies). Dan Krovatin is a published illustrator of several young adult and children’s books. Some of his published credits include: A Matter of Conscience: The Trial of Anne Hutchinson (Stories of America), Frenchtown Summer (Paperback) and Alien Alert (Ghostwriter). Alex Haley, as General Editor, wrote the introduction.