Malcolm X Number 2

As I have continuously read this book, I am wondering why the author, Alex Haley, goes on tangents constantly and drifts away from the story he is in the middle of describing.  This tends to be some what confusing, but I am still able to understand it.  Another thing I noticed was that Malcolm seems to be more comfortable with his step-sister, Ella.  I found it very interesting that After visiting Ella for a short while, his whole opinion about racism changed.  Although I can understand he felt with the enormous amount of African Americans in Boston I wonder how his opinion changed so quickly. A strong quote that stood out to me was when Malcolm says, "It was then that I began to change--inside.  I drew away from white people.  I came to class, and I answered when called upon.  IT became a physical strain simply to sit in Mr. Ostrowski's class.  Where "nigger" had slipped off my back before, wherever I heard it now, I stopped and looked at whoever said it.  And they looked surprised that I did" (Haley 38).  This quote truly showed how so few people noticed that they were using racial slurs in everyday life.  Another issue I found interesting was when Malcolm stated that when he visited his mother in the mental institute that she didn't even recognize him.  I had no idea that a mental issue was able to take over your memory.