Autobiography of Malcolm X: Chapters 1-12

The first half of the book chronicles the foundation of Malcolm's stance as a Muslim and a proponent of African-American rights, from the very beginning of his life. I thought it was interesting that his father, a preacher, was a follower of Marcus Garvey's Back to Africa Movement. Although Malcolm never specifically stated that this influenced his separationist views, it is basically the same principle and likely made it easier for him to accept the teachings of Elijah Muhammad. I also had never known about Malcolm's past as a hustler and a drug addict. His complete turnaround is actually very remarkable, and pretty rare, but I think that his experiences in Harlem and Roxbury give his cause some proof of legitimacy. His story definitely had the potential to attract followers, because it is such an obvious example of what Islam did, and could do for others.