X marks the spot

The world of Malcolm X is an astonishing place. I certainly have not known a similar place. I feel that his experiences are incredibly different from what I can experience or even imagine. His schooling, not knowing the history of African-Americans, his becoming an adult so quickly, all of it. I am glad that Malcolm X took the time to make an autobiography. I am always interested in why someone was the way he/she was. This autobiography really shows where Malcolm X is coming from. He shows how he, himself, was an ignorant part of the system, a doped up hustler, who barely slept and sometimes barely survived. Many times in the book, Malcolm X looks back at those people in Harlem who were just like him. He would say something like if they put the same effort into education as they did into hustling, and had been given some direction, they could have been successful doctors or lawyers or bankers or whatever.

At its time, I am sure that the book was a "novel" concept or at least had more of an impact than it does today. For example, in the history classes I have taken, I have seen parallels to the "white man is the devil" concept. It is no secret that Europeans have exploited people since they've begun interacting with other peoples. I have also been able to learn about the history of African slaves. Not knowing where he had come from, I don't think Malcolm X could have realized his true self. I believe that your history is something that makes up who you are because it tells you why you are where you are today. It explains so much about you that it would be hard to know yourself without it.