We've got your back. With the Tough-O-Meter, you'll know whether to bring extra layers or Swiss army knives as you summit the literary mountain. (10 = Toughest)
Tree Line (6)
There is a lot going on this book. When Malcolm X was speaking with Alex Haley, he obviously expected to be speaking with someone who understood all of the current events issues he was referencing. But we're not in the Civil Rights era anymore. Zoot suits and jive are things of the distant past, and the United States has an entirely different relationship with Muslim nations.
The problem here isn't Malcolm's language, but all of the things you need to know in order to understand what he's talking about. Not only is he speaking about a certain time period, or certain places, but you have his literally encyclopedic knowledge of history to deal with. That's a lot of stuff.
We're not trying to scare you, but you should know it's not going to be the easiest path ahead. Maybe you should pack some granola bars.