james albert michener ( or ; february 3, 1907 – october 16, 1997) was an american writer. his books include "tales of the south pacific", "hawaii", "the drifters", "texas", and "poland". most of his 40 books are very large sagas. they are about the lives of many generations in a particular place. his non-fiction writings include the 1992 book "the world is my home" and "sports in america".