Editing Alex Haley (section)

===''The Autobiography of Malcolm X''===
[[File:The Autobiography of Malcolm X (1st ed dust jacket cover).jpg|thumb|upright|''[[The Autobiography of Malcolm X]]'', first edition (1965)]]
''[[The Autobiography of Malcolm X]]'', published in 1965, was Haley's first book.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/11/arts/text-malcolm-x-edited-found-in-writer-s-estate.html |title=Text Malcolm X Edited Found in Writer's Estate |date=September 11, 1992 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=June 1, 2010 |archive-date=March 4, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140304171251/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/11/arts/text-malcolm-x-edited-found-in-writer-s-estate.html |url-status=live }}</ref> It describes the trajectory of Malcolm&nbsp;X's life from street criminal to national spokesman for the [[Nation of Islam]] to his conversion to [[Sunni Islam]]. It also outlines Malcolm&nbsp;X's philosophy of [[black pride]], [[black nationalism]], and [[pan-Africanism]]. Haley wrote an epilogue to the book summarizing the end of Malcolm&nbsp;X's life, including [[Assassination of Malcolm X|his assassination]] in New York's [[Audubon Ballroom]].

Haley [[Ghostwriter|ghostwrote]] ''The Autobiography of Malcolm&nbsp;X'' based on more than 50 in-depth interviews he conducted with Malcolm&nbsp;X between 1963 and Malcolm&nbsp;X's February 1965 assassination.<ref name=Haley243-244>Haley, "Alex Haley Remembers", pp 243–244.</ref> The two men had first met in 1960 when Haley wrote an article about the Nation of Islam for ''Reader's Digest''. They met again when Haley interviewed Malcolm&nbsp;X for ''Playboy''.<ref name="Haley243-244" />

The initial interviews for the autobiography frustrated Haley. Rather than discussing his own life, Malcolm&nbsp;X spoke about [[Elijah Muhammad]], the leader of the Nation of Islam; he became angry about Haley's reminders that the book was supposed to be about Malcolm&nbsp;X. After several meetings, Haley asked Malcolm&nbsp;X to tell him something about his mother. That question drew Malcolm&nbsp;X into recounting his life story.<ref name="Haley243-244" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eyesontheprize/about/pt_201.html |title=The Time Has Come (1964–1966) |work=[[Eyes on the Prize|Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Movement 1954–1985]], [[American Experience]] |publisher=[[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] |access-date=May 31, 2010 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100423154235/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eyesontheprize/about/pt_201.html| archive-date= April 23, 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref>

''The Autobiography of Malcolm&nbsp;X'' has been a consistent best-seller since its 1965 publication.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/newsday/access/77587304.html?dids=77587304:77587304&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT |title=What Took So Long? |last=Seymour |first=Gene |date=November 15, 1992 |work=Newsday |access-date=June 2, 2010 |archive-date=January 11, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111230720/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/newsday/access/77587304.html?dids=77587304:77587304&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT |url-status=dead }}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported that six million copies of the book had sold by 1977.<ref name=TimesObit>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/11/books/alex-haley-70-author-of-roots-dies.html |title=Alex Haley, 70, Author of 'Roots,' Dies |last=Pace |first=Eric |date=February 2, 1992 |work=The New York Times |access-date=June 2, 2010 |archive-date=September 13, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100913043838/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/11/books/alex-haley-70-author-of-roots-dies.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1998, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine ranked ''The Autobiography of Malcolm&nbsp;X'' as one of the 10 most influential nonfiction books of the 20th century.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,988496,00.html |title=Required Reading: Nonfiction Books |last=Gray |first=Paul |date=June 8, 1998 |magazine=Time |access-date=April 25, 2010 |archive-date=July 23, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100723122939/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,988496,00.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 1966, Haley received the [[Anisfield-Wolf Book Award]] for ''The Autobiography of Malcolm&nbsp;X''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.anisfield-wolf.org/winners/winners-by-year/#year-1966 |title=Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards – Winners by Year – 1966 |publisher=[[Anisfield-Wolf Book Award]]s |access-date=June 5, 2016 |archive-date=December 9, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141209050635/http://www.anisfield-wolf.org/winners/winners-by-year/#year-1966 |url-status=live }}</ref>