X is Known

The Autobiography of Malcolm X has made a lot of things known to me.

It was really interesting to discover the lifestyle of a Harlem hustler. I, not surprisingly, know very little about the hustler lifestyle, so most of the information X presented in the first few chapters was completely new to me. I found myself sort of fascinated by a lot of it. The hustlers of Harlem were very intelligent with their schemes. For instance, when X’s brother sells knock-off goods as if they were stolen, so people buy them quickly while giving him a profit. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not condoning this dishonest behavior. But it is a unique way to make something out of a bad situation.

It was also informative to hear about the secret undergrounds of Harlem, especially sexually. It really made me think, how much of that is still true today? We hear about Congressmen or other people in powerful positions getting caught in a scandal of sorts all the time. But what percentage of people actually gets caught in situations like that? Is there still a lively underground scene today? I don’t think it should really matter what people, whether they have power or not, do in their free time. It would be interesting to know though.

And of course, The Autobiography of Malcolm X makes a lot of other things known in his book. I learned almost everything I know about the Nation of Islam from this book. I learned about a different take on the creation theory. But I think a really important lesson X proves through the telling of his life story is how you control your own life. X was put in terrible circumstances, but educated himself and turned into an intelligent and powerful man. Sure is inspirational.