The epic tale of celebrated Pulitzer-prize winning author Alex Haley's ancestors as portrayed in the acclaimed twelve hour mini-series Roots was first told in his 1976 bestseller Roots: The Saga of an American Family. The docu-drama covers a period of history that begins in mid-1700s Gambia West Africa and concludes during post-Civil War United States over 100 years later. This 1977 miniseries eventually won 9 Emmy awards a Golden Globe award and a Peabody award and still stands as the most watched miniseries in U.S. history.