Chapter One of The Autobiography of Malcolm X describes Malcolm’s first twelve years of life, a time he remembers as a nightmare. Indeed, the main events of the chapter are all scenes from a nightmare: the Ku Klux Klan attack in Omaha; the burning of the family’s home in Lansing; the many fights of his parents and their harsh treatment of the children; the violent death of Malcolm’s father; the harassment of the family by welfare officials; the transfer of Malcolm to the custody of another family; and Mrs. Little’s breakdown and committal to the mental hospital.