Autobiography of Malolm X
Uploaded by tommy53565 on Apr 21, 2002
The book I chose to read this quarter was The Autobiography of Malcolm X. This is about the life of Malcolm X. It follows him from when he was a little kid to his death. The setting of this book is set in America. It covers over 40 years. Malcolm’s childhood is in Lansing, Michigan. He moves to Boston to live with his aunt. Malcolm is imprisoned at the age of 20. After leaving prison he travels all over the U.S. The main characters in this book include:
Malcolm X - The main character and hero of the book. This book is about his life.
Rev. Earl Little - Malcolm’s father. He is a priest and an active member and organizer of the organization founded by Marcus Garvey.
Louise Little - Malcolm’s Mother. After her husband’s death she loses her mind and is put into an institution.
Ella Little - Malcolm’s aunt who has Malcolm come to Boston to live with her.
Shorty - Malcolm meets him in Boston and who shows Malcolm the town life.
Elijah Muhammad - The founder and spiritual leader of the Nation of Islam.
Reginald Little - Malcolm’s younger brother. He shows him the teachings of the Nation of Islam.
Betty Shabazz- Malcolm’s Wife.
Malcolm Little was born on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska. His mother, Louise, was a homemaker who looked after Malcolm and his seven brothers and sisters. Malcolm’s father, Earl Little, was an outspoken Baptist and taught the teachings of Marcus Garvey. Because of numerous threats on Malcolm’s father, the family was forced to move several times. But that wasn’t enough. The Klan finally caught up to the Little’s. Earl Little was killed by the Klan on the railroad tracks. Because of Earl Little’s death, Louise Little had an emotional breakdown and was later committed to a mental institution. Malcolm and his brothers and sisters were split up and put into various foster homes and orphanages.
When Malcolm was in Junior High he was the top student of his class. But his education was forever changed when a teacher told Malcolm his dream of becoming a lawyer was “No realistic goal for a nigger.” This caused a lot of anger and Malcolm lost interest in school. Malcolm dropped out of school and moved to Boston to live with Ella. While in Boston Malcolm met Shorty. Shorty showed Malcolm the city life and helped Malcolm get his first job as a shoe-shine...