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Overall Summary
Malcolm X’s autobiography starts off with a scene of his mother, Louise Little, being confronted by angry white supremacists. Malcolm was born shortly after this incident and the family moved to Michigan shortly thereafter. They were still harassed for their race and when Earl Little said something that angered them, he was found dead in the morning. The Great Depression hit soon after and they fell into poverty as a result of Earl not working anymore due to his death. As all this happened, state officials continued to harass Louise about her lack of parenting skills until she finally had a mental breakdown herself.
Malcolm X was born in Omaha, Nebraska. He lived there with his father and mother for a few years before they separated. Malcolm’s father moved to Lansing, Michigan with him and his siblings; however, he died shortly after their arrival. His mother took the children back to Omaha where she married another man who abused her and the kids. Malcolm eventually ran away from home at age 12 because of this abuse. He made it as far north as Boston where he stayed with his half-sister Ella for a summer before returning to Lansing where he finished school.
Malcolm’s first experience in Boston is a rude awakening about the class structure among African Americans. Those who work for white businesses downtown live on “the hill,” while those who are poor and involved in criminal activities live in “town.” Malcolm becomes enamored with the hustlers, or criminals, of town. He starts working as a shoe shiner boy thanks to his friend Shorty and quickly falls into that lifestyle of drugs and alcohol, along with zoot suits and conks (hair weaves).
Ella tries to get Malcolm out of his life as a hustler. She gets him a job at the soda shop, but this causes him to fall further. He starts dating Laura, who is well-educated and black, and they have fun together. They go dancing at the Duke Ellington concert where he sees an attractive white woman named Sophia. This symbolizes how he worships white people more than black people because of their social status in society.
After moving in with Shorty, Malcolm began to work as a dishwasher on the railroads. He was quickly promoted and started selling sandwiches. Train journeys allowed him to see how black people lived in major cities like New York and Washington D.C., which were filled with poverty and crime but also had great night life. After being fired from the railroad, he got a job at Small’s Place, a high-end bar and ballroom where he met hustlers who helped white people visiting Harlem have fun while spending money there. His time there sealed his move to New York City, where he continued working as an enforcer for those hustles by dealing marijuana despite increasing attention from law enforcement. At the same time, he was called up for the draft but avoided it because of his appearance that made him look like a criminal even though wasn’t one.
After the police pressure, Malcolm moves to other hustles. He starts a burglary ring with Sammy and a gambling business with Hymie. However, he is still being pressured by the police and criminals in Harlem. Shorty has to come from Boston to rescue him from this dangerous situation. Now, Malcolm begins organizing burglaries in upper class white neighborhoods with Shorty, Sophia’s sister (who is also named Sophia), Rudy (a new contact), and his wife (Sophia). Once again, enemies begin surrounding him as they all get caught for burglary except for Rudy who escapes jail time because he was not arrested during the arrest of the rest of them.
