Alexander Murray Palmer "Alex" Haley was a Pulitzer Prize-winning African-American author best known for the book ‘Roots: The Saga of an American Family’. The book, which chronicled his ancestors' origins in Africa and their journey from slavery to freedom in America, played a major role in creating awareness about African-American history in the United States. His seminal work also kindled an interest in genealogy among Americans of many ethnic heritages. The son of a professor in New York, he grew up learning about how his father had bravely overcome the obstacles of racism. Alex Haley dropped out of college and enlisted in the United States Coast Guard when he was 18. It was while working there that he realized his love for writing and was paid by his fellow soldiers to write love-letters to their girlfriends. After the World War II, he transferred to the field of journalism in the US Coast Guard. He embarked into a career as a senior editor in a well-known magazine following his retirement. He also started writing in earnest and produced several critically acclaimed works like ‘The Autobiography of Malcolm X’ and ‘Roots: The Saga of an American Family’, and won a special Pulitzer Prize for the latter.