This is my book review for the 2024 Nonfiction Reading Challenge hosted by bookdout.
This is my book review on ‘The Autobiography of Malcolm X’ written by Alex Haley using his extensive interviews with Malcom X.
*Spoiler alerts ahead*
Malcolm X had received many death threats over breaking ties with Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam. He sat down with reporter, Alex Haley, to tell his life story through his eyes. Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little in Ohama, Nebraska.
His father, Reverend Earl Little, was murdered by white men when Malcolm was a small child. Unable to meet the financial burdens and caretaking of her children, Malcolm’s mother suffered depression that led to her being placed in a mental hospital.
Malcolm moved to Boston with his sister and it was during this time that he developed a taste of the nightlife. Later he moved to New York and began a prosperous burglar ring that landed him in prison for 7 years.
During his 7 year prison stint, Malcolm was influenced by an inmate named Bimbi who taught Malcolm how important education was and how to read as well as write past his 8th grade school level. It was also during this time that Malcolm’s views begin changing.
Dropping his slave name Little, Malcolm was given permission by the Nation of Islam to put instead an X symbolizing the way white men erased their slave’s identity. As jealousy rose in the Nation of Islam, Malcolm began receiving death threats and he also saw things being done that went against the teachings.
Although Malcolm was the fiery opposite of Martin Luther King Jr who preached about gaining equality through peace, his trip to Africa changed his point of view drastically and he tried daily to let go of his prejudice against white people.
Donetta Writes 