The Autobiography Of Malcolm X
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • ONE OF TIME’S TEN MOST IMPORTANT NONFICTION BOOKS OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
The “extraordinary” (The New York Times) autobiography of the legendary civil rights leader once called the most dangerous man in America—essential reading for anyone who wants to understand this nation’s history
In the searing pages of this classic autobiography, originally published in 1965, Malcolm X, the Muslim leader, firebrand, and anti-integrationist, tells the extraordinary story of his life and the growth of the Black Muslim movement to veteran writer and journalist Alex Haley. In a unique collaboration, Haley worked with Malcolm X for nearly two years, interviewing, listening to, and understanding the most controversial leader of his time.
Raised in Lansing, Michigan, Malcolm Little journeyed on a road to fame as astonishing as it was unpredictable. Drifting from childhood poverty to petty crime, Malcolm found himself in jail. It was there that he came into contact with the teachings of the little-known Black Muslim leader Elijah Muhammad. The newly renamed Malcolm X devoted himself body and soul to the world of Islam, becoming the Nation’s foremost spokesman. When his conscience forced him to break with Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm founded the Organization of Afro-American Unity to spread an inspiring message of pride, power, and self-determination across the country.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X stands as the definitive statement of a movement and a man whose work was never completed but whose message is timeless. Malcolm’s fascinating perspective on the lies and limitations of the American Dream, and the inherent racism in a society that denies its nonwhite citizens the opportunity to dream, gives extraordinary insight into the most urgent issues of our own time.
The “extraordinary” (The New York Times) autobiography of the legendary civil rights leader once called the most dangerous man in America—essential reading for anyone who wants to understand this nation’s history
In the searing pages of this classic autobiography, originally published in 1965, Malcolm X, the Muslim leader, firebrand, and anti-integrationist, tells the extraordinary story of his life and the growth of the Black Muslim movement to veteran writer and journalist Alex Haley. In a unique collaboration, Haley worked with Malcolm X for nearly two years, interviewing, listening to, and understanding the most controversial leader of his time.
Raised in Lansing, Michigan, Malcolm Little journeyed on a road to fame as astonishing as it was unpredictable. Drifting from childhood poverty to petty crime, Malcolm found himself in jail. It was there that he came into contact with the teachings of the little-known Black Muslim leader Elijah Muhammad. The newly renamed Malcolm X devoted himself body and soul to the world of Islam, becoming the Nation’s foremost spokesman. When his conscience forced him to break with Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm founded the Organization of Afro-American Unity to spread an inspiring message of pride, power, and self-determination across the country.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X stands as the definitive statement of a movement and a man whose work was never completed but whose message is timeless. Malcolm’s fascinating perspective on the lies and limitations of the American Dream, and the inherent racism in a society that denies its nonwhite citizens the opportunity to dream, gives extraordinary insight into the most urgent issues of our own time.
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Community Reviews
I am still putting together my thoughts, and I will update this review at a later date. Here it is in part.
A profoundly human look at one of the most influential American figures of the 20th century. In my opinion this should be part of the standard American high school curriculum, even if it were abridged in some schools that think if alcohol, drug use, and sexuality are never mentioned that students won’t make bad judgment calls. But we would have to be in a society that acknowledges and reckons with its racist past and the continuing repercussions centuries after. American enslavers and human traffickers are readily mentioned in history textbooks and even praised for their government and cultural contributions. Yet Malcolm X is ignored or given a sentence about his assassination. On rare occasion, he is mentioned being in opposition to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. That’s about it.
I realized that all I knew about Malcolm X were soundbite quotes and what other people in the 21st century said about him. In this autobiography that also includes a few short essays by other figures about Malcolm X the reader gets to see Malcolm X’s point-of-view and what contemporaries said about him in various parts of his life.
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