Malcolm 1:12

To begin, I have to say I am completely in awe at the beginning of Malcolm's life. From his father's devotion to the teachings of Marcus Garvey to the eventual weasel, hustler lifestyle Malcolm picked up in his later years. They are almost direct opposites to each other. His dad wanted us to leave the US, like Garvey, and go back to Africa where we would reestablish ourselves as what we were before the slave trade and the pillaging of Africa began. Malcolm, not picking up where his father left off as is the cliche, became the embodiment of the average Negro Caucasians used as an example of why we couldn't be treated the same. Drug abusing, scheming, robbery and lots of adultery filled Malcolm's everyday activities. The person Malcolm became as a young adult was probably the person Marcus Garvey and his dad hated and also felt gave African-Americans at the time a bad name. And we gotta remember that he was not even 21 yet. Felt like he was a vet at being a criminal to me. But it also speaks to the influence he had and the potential that was inside him. If Malcolm became a top hustler in Harlem and Boston without building much street credit like his counterparts, think about what he would've accomplished had he focused his time on something more LEGAL and productive (as he did in the future). Gotta admit, I enjoyed this part and I don't think if I read any further I will find a part I enjoy more than his dog days.