UT professor writes book about ‘Roots’ author Alex Haley
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – A University of Tennessee professor has written a biography that explores the rise of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alex Haley and his literary influence.
Robert J. Norrell’s book, “Alex Haley and the Books That Changed a Nation,” was released this week.
Haley was born in Henning in West Tennessee and died in 1992 while a Knoxville resident.
He wrote “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” and “Roots: The Saga of an American Family,” each of which sold 6 million books. “Roots” earned Haley his Pulitzer Prize.
Norrell argues that Haley’s books were the most influential and widely read works of African-American history in the 20th century.
Norrell is based in the UT Department of History and holds the Bernadotte Schmitt Chair of Excellence at the university.
