Study Questions

1. How did the burglar, “Jumpsteady,” get his name?

2. Why is Malcolm fired from Small’s Paradise?

3. How old is Malcolm when he becomes a drug peddler?

4. Why is Malcolm wary of taking Sophia out to Roxbury clubs?

5. Why does Malcolm begin traveling on railroad lines?

6. What caused the 1945 riot in Harlem?

7. What is West Indian Archie’s unique ability?

8. Why does Malcolm visit his brother, Philbert, in Michigan?

9. Who is Branch Rickey? Why are people in Harlem excited about Rickey’s recent decision?

10. What is Malcolm’s main job when he works for Hymie?

Answers

1. “Jumpsteady” gets his name from his days as a burglar when he jumped from the rooftops of buildings and maneuvered along window ledges.

2. Malcolm is fired from Small’s Paradise because one day, while at work, he gives an undercover policeman the telephone number of a prostitute.

3. Malcolm becomes a drug peddler when he is 17-years-old.

4. Malcolm is wary of taking Sophia out to Roxbury clubs because “the Boston cops used the war as an excuse to harass interracial couples, stopping them and grilling the Negro about his draft status.”

5. Malcolm begins traveling on the railroad lines because it is a safe way for him to sell marijuana to touring musicians.

6. In 1945, white merchants in Harlem refused to hire black people to work in their stores. Thousands of angry black people began to riot in retaliation.

7. West Indian Archie’s unique ability is that he has a photographic memory.

8. Malcolm visits his brother, Philbert, because Malcolm matched the description of the man who had robbed a Harlem bar. He leaves New York, temporarily, until the real thief is caught.

9. Branch Rickey is the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1945, he signs the black baseball player, Jackie Robinson, to play in major league baseball.

10. Malcolm transports bootleg liquor from Long Island to New York bars.