Alex Haley’s 1960 article led directly to “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” and “Roots.”
The story itself was nothing groundbreaking, though it provided a balanced representation of the facts and offered insight into a movement that many White Americans found frightening. But for its author, it led directly to writing two of the most consequential works of Black history of the 20th century, books that would redefine American literature and change the way the country viewed race relations.
“Roots” would also be revelatory for White Americans, who read the book and watched the miniseries by the tens of millions. Many would have their eyes opened to the uncomfortable reality that slavery was more than a “peculiar institution,” as Vice President John C. Calhoun had called it in 1830: It was a violent, vicious system of oppression based on racial indignity.
Haley convinced Malcolm X to collaborate on the project. Haley wrote most of the book, toning down some of Malcolm X’s anger to make the text palatable to a wider audience.Critics hailed “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” as a masterpiece in explaining the divide between White and Black America. The New York Times called it “brilliant, painful, important.