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The Autobiography of Malcolm X | Introduction

The Autobiography of Malcolm X is the life story of Malcolm Little: son of a Baptist minister, wide-eyed teenager in Boston, street hustler and prison inmate in New York, faithful and energetic member of the Nation of Islam, and, finally, Muslim pilgrim determined to create an organization for all blacks regardless of their religion. It is also a tale of, as the author puts it, a "homemade'' education pursued in the schools, on the streets, in prison, and at the feet of his mentor Elijah Muhammad. Many considered Malcolm X's separatist philosophies (later softened) disturbing and in direct opposition to those of the period's other well-known black activists, including Martin Luther King, Jr., who argued for integration and non-violent confrontation.

While the book received high praise when it was first published in 1965, it immediately engendered questions about its authorship. The book is unusual in that it was transcribed and constructed by Alex Haley from thousands of hours of conversations he had with Malcolm X in the early 1960s. In fact, while Malcolm X did read drafts of the book, he never lived to see it in print. In early 1965, a trio suspected to have been associated with the Nation of Islam gunned him down as he was about to give a speech in Harlem. Haley, then a recently retired Coast Guard member working as a journalist, went on to write the critically acclaimed family history, Roots.

In 1966, The Autobiography of Malcolm X received an Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, and in 1992, it was produced as a film.

The Autobiography of Malcolm X Summary

Chapter One: "Nightmare"
The Autobiography of Malcolm X begins with Malcolm Little telling about his years as a trouble-making but clever child in the 1930s. His father, Earl Little, is a Baptist preacher who advocates the "back-to-Africa'' philosophy of black activist Marcus Garvey. Once, their house is burned down, and another time it is damaged—both times by groups of white men. His mother, Louise, is made a widow when Earl is murdered; then the state welfare agency tries to break up the family. Eventually, fighting against the state and struggling to keep her children fed becomes too much for Louise, and she is committed to a mental asylum. The children are sent to various foster homes in the region.

Chapter Two: "Mascot"
Malcolm is expelled from school when he is thirteen years old, and state officials move him to a detention home. Though Malcolm is a very popular student at the white junior high school and is elected the seventh-grade class president, he later feels that he was simply a "mascot" for the school.

His half-sister Ella invites him to visit her in Boston for the summer, a visit that changes his life by showing him a world outside his small town. When he returns to school the next fall, a school counselor tells Malcolm that he should not consider becoming a lawyer because he is black. Ella invites him to move to Boston.

Chapter Three: "Homeboy"
Malcolm lives with Ella in the "snooty-black'' neighborhood of Boston. But Malcolm is attracted to the ‘‘town ghetto section,’’ where he meets Shorty, a pool hall employee. The two strike up an immediate friendship, and Shorty finds Malcolm a job shining shoes at the famous Roseland State Ballroom. Shorty also initiates Malcolm into the various aspects of city living, including straightening his hair through a painful process called "conking.'' Looking back, Malcolm sees this as his ‘‘first really big step toward self-degradation,’’ trying to look like a white man.

Chapter Four: "Laura"
Malcolm quits his shoe shining job to devote more time to dances at Roseland. Ella then finds him a job at the ice cream parlor, much to his dismay. While working, he meets Laura, a studious young girl who isn't haughty like the other customers. Malcolm and Laura attend Roseland dances, where he introduces her to the seamy side of life. Malcolm is meanwhile accepting the advances of Sophia, a rich, attractive white woman who gives him money.

Chapter Five: "Harlemite''
Ella helps Malcolm get a job as a dishwasher on the train between Boston and New York. After only one day in New York, Malcolm decides to live in Harlem, the center of American black life in the 1940s. Malcolm eventually takes a job as a waiter at his favorite bar in Harlem, Small's Paradise. Meanwhile, Malcolm goes out at night, dancing, drinking, and smoking marijuana.

Chapter Six: ‘‘Detroit Red’’
Malcolm is barred from Small's after offering a prostitute to an undercover policeman, so his friend Sammy the Pimp helps... » Complete The Autobiography of Malcolm X Summary