Autobiography Of Malcolm X Summary

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The Autobiography of Malcolm X explores the life of Malcolm X from childhood, to his assassination. The book takes an in-depth look at the events in his life, which give us an interesting perspective to many topics and issues of the time. This story is an important reading that delves into the life of a very influential man who had experienced a hard childhood and adulthood, as well as a transformation and a leadership role as an activist. The book begins with Malcolm’s childhood, which was plagued with racism. His father is killed and mother has great difficulty raising Malcolm and his siblings because she struggles to keep a job. Social workers must interview the family periodically and give the family financial assistance. The social workers…show more content…
He got involved with drugs, gambling, and prostitution. He made friends along the way, but also some enemies who threatened his life. He is finally caught by the law and put in jail. While in jail, Malcolm became a religious Islam. In prison, he debated and formed many ideologies and beliefs. He became a follower of Elijah Muhammad and eventually became representative of the Nation of Islam. As he moved higher up in the Nation of Islam, he began to disagree with Elijah and thought they should be more politically involved. This results in Malcolm being cast out of the Nation of Islam. He went on a pilgrimage and changed his views once again, concluding that it is the goal of all non-whites to work together to make their place in society better. The book discusses several key topics and issues that have affected the African-American community through the story of his life. Some of the greatest effects on his life include institutionalized racism, individual racism, and the Harlem Renaissance. In class, we looked at the different situations where institutionalized racism can happen. In Malcolm’s situation, the educational system was a big part of this. In chapter 2, Malcolm’s teacher rejects the idea of Malcolm becoming a lawyer and instead suggests that he become a carpenter. The teacher would encourage other students, who were not as bright as Malcolm, to become whatever…show more content…
Malcolm’s father, in chapter 1, is a preacher for a local church and is allowed to do so because he did nothing to change the status quo. He would not have been able to preach about some of the Marcus Garvey UNIA ideologies. These ideologies were ultimately the reason for his murder. Institutionalized racism is present in all careers. Most of the jobs that blacks are allowed to have do not effect white people and are often jobs that white people don’t want. Malcolm’s mother works as a housemaid for locals. She is fair skinned, causing her to be hired by white homeowners thinking she is white. When the homeowner becomes aware that she is an African-American, she is fired. Another instance of institutionalized racism occurs when the insurance company denied Malcolm’s family their life insurance claim, because the insurance company claimed that it was a
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