[S-uper_T-oast]

lol
Yah this is really old. I just had to write another report though, and since were here, I'll post it too.
Book is the Autobiography of Malcolm X.
This report sucks, in my opinion, I made it in like 10 minutes.

John *********
History p.7
T.3 Book Review
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
In recent years, there have been few people as articulate and as influential as Malcolm X. One of the men who defined his generation, he was both a motivating speaker and a self-made intellect. In his “autobiography”, as told to Alex Haley, Malcolm X paints out a picture of his life story from rural Michigan during the depression all the way up to his involvement in the civil-rights movement. All throughout his life, Malcolm was influenced and inspired by his past. His childhood greatly influenced his views on the world and his views on race. By reading about were Malcolm came from, one can better understand were he was going and why he was trying to get there, and by reading the words that came straight from Malcolm’s own mouth give you an insight into this.

Malcolm’s History
Malcolm X is born Malcolm little in Omaha, Nebraska. The Midwest, during this period, is full of discrimination and racial violence. In 1929, Malcolm’s family moves to Michigan where they continue to experience persecution and violence. In Michigan, a white supremacist group burns down Malcolm’s family’s house. Malcolm said that watching his house burn down taught him that the odds were against him in life, simply because he was black. Malcolm’s father, Earl Little, is a priest in the black community. Earl also is an activist for the Marcus Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association, or UNIA. Because of his work in the UNIA, Earl is targeted for by various white supremacists groups, and is eventually killed by them. Malcolm had always been close to his father, often accompanying him to the UNIA meetings. Growing up in Michigan, Malcolm begins to become a troublemaker. One particular stunt ended up in him being sent to a juvenile detention home. Malcolm finished up through the eighth grade at the home, and then moves to Boston, Massachusetts, to live with his half-sister, Ella. In Boston Malcolm quickly becomes involved in urban nightlife. He passes for being much older than he is, wearing flashy clothes, gambling, drinking, doing drugs, and dating an older white woman, Sophia. Malcolm eventually takes a job as a railway porter. He then moves to New York, where he begins working as a hustler in Harlem. Malcolm’s works there running numbers, selling drugs, and steering white people to black brothels, also becoming an armed robber.
When life in Harlem becomes too dangerous, Malcolm returns to Boston, where he becomes a house burglar and is eventually arrested. In prison, Malcolm transforms himself, converting to the branch of Islam promoted by the Nation of Islam, which has already converted a number of Malcolm’s siblings. Inspired by the faith, Malcolm stops using drugs; he reads, prays, studies English and Latin, and joins the prison debate team.
The prison releases Malcolm on parole. Malcolm moves in with his brother Wilfred and becomes very active in the Detroit temple of the Nation of Islam. Malcolm receives permission to drop his last name, which a white slave owner gave to one of his ancestors. He adopts the placeholder “X” as his last name, using the letter to represent the lost name of his African ancestors. Malcolm X soon meets the Nation of Islam’s leader, Elijah Muhammad, and rises quickly from the rank of temple assistant in Detroit to the Nation’s first national minister. Malcolm X becomes known throughout the United States, even outside of Muslim circles, as a fiery advocate for black unity and militancy. The Nation of Islam’s leaders resent and fear Malcolm despite his allegiance to their cause, and they suspend him from the organization.
The Nation of Islam’s frustration with Malcolm intensifies, and Malcolm begins receiving death threats. After a divisive argument with Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm leaves the Nation of Islam. He uses his fame to found his own organization, Muslim Mosque, Inc. He sees his organization as more politically active than the Nation of Islam. On a trip to the Middle East and Africa, Malcolm discovers what he sees as true Islam. This version of Islam contrasts with the version of Islam he has been teaching. By the end of his life, Malcolm X is an international figure, welcomed by foreign leaders and committed to Islam as a religion that can alleviate the racial problems of the United States. Malcolm is assassinated on February 21, 1965 by three members of the Nation of Islam.

A Great Insight
The Biography of Malcolm X is fascinating to read. As you follow Malcolm through his life you began to understand what he was doing in his life. From rural Michigan to urban Harlem, Malcolm’s life built him into the person he was, his life created the leader he was. By reading his own story about his life, one can see that he had lived a difficult life, one can see that he had lived a dangerous life, and one can see that from these things he was able to present to people someone they could respect and follow. A person can’t see these qualities as well without knowing Malcolm’s past. By knowing that his father, who Malcolm was very close to, was killed by white supremacists; by knowing one of Malcolm’s earliest memories is of his house being burned down by white supremacists; by knowing about the hardships Malcolm faced while living in Harlem; By knowing all these things you can get a better insight into the person Malcolm was, and that is the greatest part about this book. This book allows you to see Malcolm not just as the leader or the militant that he may or may not have been, but also as the person with a vivid but speckled past. In this respect I thought the book was excellent. How could it get any better at telling Malcolm’s story then by using Malcolm’s own words? Malcolm’s story is told through Malcolm’s words, which gives it an intimacy that allows you to understand what he was thinking and dealing with. That is what I think the book’s point is, to tell Malcolm’s story and it does it very well.