`ROOTS' AUTHOR HALEY REMINISCES IN STORY PUBLISHED POSTHUMOUSLY

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 26, 1992                   TAG: 9202250218
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RADNOR, PA.                                LENGTH: Short
`ROOTS' AUTHOR HALEY REMINISCES IN STORY PUBLISHED POSTHUMOUSLY
Alex Haley reminisces about the impact of "Roots" in a story to be published posthumously in TV Guide.
"I think that, without my intent, the book awakened a worldwide perception that genealogy isn't reserved for royalty," Haley wrote. "Quite to the contrary, the peasant's family line is probably stronger than the prince's." Haley died of a heart attack Feb. 10 at age 70. His novel "Roots: The Saga of an American Family," won a Pulitzer Prize in 1977 and was the basis of a TV miniseries watched by 130 million viewers.
He wrote the story for the Feb. 29 TV Guide for Black History Month.
"People seemed to recognize that `Roots' symbolized their own ethnic struggles," he wrote. "In Beijing, `Roots' and I were feted by lineage masters who had traced families as far back as 1,000 years."
He said one of his most gratifying experiences was use of the book in West African classrooms.
"My best hope is that `Roots' will find new viewers in future generations," Haley said.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB