Alex Haley's Autobiography

Alex Haley a white man whom after twenty years in the U.S. Coastal Guard was about to retire, entered the civilian writing career in New York City. There, Haley crafted his civilian writing career of “provocative material,” in which, proposed an article about the cult to the Reader’s Digest. Accordingly, this lead Haley to Harlem in meeting Minister Malcolm X with a clear objective— “…one that would balance what the Muslims said of themselves and what their attackers said about them” (383). Leading up to the fact that Haley startled Malcolm X, in his own automobile, by stating, “…if he would tell his life story for publication,” which Malcolm X replied two days later, “’I’ll agree’” (386). Doubtfully, Haley became involved in co-authoring The Autobiography of Malcolm X due to the fact that on February 21, 1965 at precisely 3:30 p.m., Malcolm X was pronounced dead. The contract between Malcolm X and Alex Haley was what entangled Haley in co-authoring the book and Malcolm X’s words, “A writer is what I want, not an interpreter” (456).
“Education is the passport to the future, for the future belongs to those …show more content…
domestic and foreign sales” (84)—or a miss. Hustlers indirectly “straighten” Malcolm X as they took a liking to him due to the fact that he “was green by their terms” (86). Eventually, Malcolm X’s nickname became “Detroit Red.” Then, in 1943, Uncle Sam greeted Malcolm X, but that’s what scared Malcolm X the most, aside from jail and a job. Considering that, Malcolm X was rejected in being drafted because of his psychiatric evaluation as he emphasized to the psychiatrist’s, “’Daddy-o, now you and me, we’re from up North here, so don’t you tell nobody…. I want to get sent down South. Organize them nigger soldiers, you dig? Steal us some guns, and kill us crackers’”