Haley, Alex

The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley

Malcolm X's searing memoir belongs on the small shelf of great autobiographies. The reasons are many: the blistering honesty with which he recounts his transformation from a bitter, self-destructive petty criminal into an articulate political activist, the continued relevance of his militant analysis of white racism, and his emphasis on self-respect and self-help for African Americans. And there's the vividness with which he depicts black popular culture--try as he might to criticize those lindy hops at Boston's Roseland dance hall from the perspective of his Muslim faith, he can't help but make them sound pretty wonderful. These are but a few examples. The Autobiography of Malcolm X limns an archetypal journey from ignorance and despair to knowledge and spiritual awakening. When Malcolm tells coauthor Alex Haley, "People don't realize how a man's whole life can be changed by one book," he voices the central belief underpinning every attempt to set down a personal story as an example for others. Although many believe his ethic was directly opposed to Martin Luther King Jr.'s during the civil rights struggle of the '60s, the two were not so different. Malcolm may have displayed a most un-Christian distaste for loving his enemies, but he understood with King that love of God and love of self are the necessary first steps on the road to freedom. --Wendy Smith

MAXnotes offer a fresh look at masterpieces of literature, presented in a lively and interesting fashion. Written by literary experts who currently teach the subject, MAXnotes will enhance your understanding and enjoyment of the work. MAXnotes are designed to stimulate independ ent thought about the literary work by raising various issues and thought-provoking ideas and questions. MAXnotes cover the essentials of what one should know about each work, including an overall summary, character lists, an explanation and discussion of the plot, the work's historical context, illustrations to convey the mood of the work, and a biography of the author. Each chapter is individually summarized and analyzed, and has study questions and answers.

Roots: The Saga of an American Family

"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." The book sold over 1,000,000 copies in the first year, and the miniseries was watched by an astonishing 130,000,000 people. It also won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. Roots opened up the minds of Americans of all colors and faiths to one of the darkest and most painful parts of America's past.
Roots also fostered a remarkable dialogue about not just the past, but the then present day 1970's and how America had fared since the days portrayed in Roots. Vanguard Press feels that it is important to republish Roots: The 30th Anniversary Edition to remind the generation that originally read it that there are issues that still need to be discussed and debated, and to introduce to a new and younger generation of readers a book that will help them understand, perhaps for the first time, the drama and reality of what took place during the time of Roots.

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

He rose from hoodlum, thief, dope peddler, pimp...to become the most dynamic leader of the Black Revolution. He said he would be murdered before this book appeared.

The Autobiography of Malcolm X (Penguin Modern Classics)

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

Daufuskie Island: 25th Anniversary Edition

First published in 1982, Daufuskie Island vividly captures life on a South Carolina Sea Island before the arrival of resort culture using the photographs of Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe and words of Alex Haley. Located between Hilton Head and Savannah, Daufuskie Island has since become a plush resort destination. Moutoussamy-Ashe's photographs document what daily life was like for the last inhabitants to occupy the land prior to the onset of tourist developments.

When Moutoussamy-Ashe first came to Daufuskie in 1977, about eighty permanent African American residents lived on the island in fewer than fifty homes. Many of the people still spoke their native Gullah dialect. They had only one store, a two-room school, a nursery, and one active church. This represented all that remained of a once-thriving black society that developed after the plantation owners left and the land was bought by freed slaves. After the boll weevil caused cotton crop failures and pollution ruined oyster beds, more and more residents sold their land to real estate developers. It became clear that Daufuskie would soon be transformed into a coastal resort like neighboring Hilton Head, changing forever the unique island culture that had survived largely unchanged for the preceding half-century. Moustoussamy-Ashe's photographs show family gatherings, crabbing and fishing, children at play, spiritual life, and the toils of everyday existence. With the utmost respect for her notoriously shy subjects, she captured a powerful vision of their rough-hewn but rewarding life independent from many modern conveniences.

Redesigned from cover to cover, this twenty-fifth anniversary edition of Daufuskie Island includes more than fifty previously unpublished photographs from the original contact sheets, a new preface by Deborah Willis, and a new epilogue by Moutoussamy-Ashe. This edition is published to accompany a traveling exhibition sponsored by Merrill Lynch.

A Different Kind of Christmas

This is a very special novel that sparkles with the same memorable writing that made ROOTS an American classic.

This is the story of  Fletcher Randall, a nineteen-year-old from North Carolina whose politically powerful father is a plantation owner, and, of course, a slave owner. The time is 1855, and all Fletcher Randall knows and believes about slavery he's 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 of 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. This is a timeless tale of spiritual regeneration, moral courage, and powerful humanness, meaningful and memorable to readers of all faiths and all ages.

Alex Haley: The Man Who Traced America's Roots: His Life, His Works (with DVD)

Alex Haley: The Man Who Traced America's Roots is a collection of articles the Pulitzer Prize-winning author wrote for Reader's Digest from 1954 to 1991. Haley's stories are timeless, as powerful and relevant today as when they were first written.

In 1966, Alex Haley, a contributing writer for Reader's Digest, wanted to tell his family's "story-history." For ten years, Reader's Digest financed Haley's research and travel. The result of this historic collaboration was Roots, the Pulitzer-winning book.

Alex Haley: The Man Who Traced America's Roots is a celebration of the 30th anniversary of that epic classic and a recognition of a lifetime of writings that changed the nation. 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. The 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.

Alex Haley's Queen

Tracing his family history on his father's side, the author of Roots begins with his great-great-grandfather, James Jackson, Sr., a white plantation owner. 500,000 first printing. $400,000 ad/promo. Lit Guild Super Release. TV tie-in.

Alex Haley: The Playboy Interviews

Everyone knows Alex Haley as the world-renowned author of the international bestseller ROOTS, and as the writer who collaborated with Malcolm X on his historic autobiography. What many people don't know is that Alex Haley began his professional writing career as a journalist. It was his experience in this arena that earned him the plum assignment as Playboy's first -- and foremost -- interviewer.
Witness Haley's work with the pre-Ali Cassius Clay, in which the posture of the young rebel fell away and a sensitive, intelligent young man emerged. He lured Malcolm X beyond his scathing Black Muslim rhetoric to reveal the agile, perceptive mind of a charismatic leader. With Johnny Carson, Haley revealed the man behind the mask of a charming television raconteur. And, in a devasting interview with George Lincoln Rockwell, the self-appointed fuhrer of the American Nazi Party, Haley deftly exposed the frightening heart and soul of the twisted man and his racist ideology.
A fascinating slice of recent history, an extraordinarily candid collection of celebrity interviews and personal reminiscences, ALEX HALEY: THE PLAYBOY INTERVIEWS anthologizes for the first time a gifted writer's finest work at its controversial and informative best.