Autobiography of Malcolm X

A powerful and eye-opening read. Malcolm X’s story is told with honesty, intensity, and clarity, and it really makes you think about history, justice, and personal transformation. The book gives you a strong sense of his character, struggles, and the experiences that shaped his beliefs. It’s thought-provoking, moving, and inspiring, and the narrative keeps you engaged throughout. Essential reading for anyone interested in civil rights, history, or personal growth.

The Autobiography of Malcolm X captured my attention and interest right away from the first page and held tight throughout the remainder. The depiction of the Klansmen at the beginning of chapter one started the book off on a serious note that laid the foundation for Malcolm's life. Being a teenager, the first handful of chapters was understandably the most entertaining to read. From them, I drew out the learning processes, the experiences, and the obstacles that Malcolm inevitably had to overcome in his transition from childhood to early adulthood. I then stocked them deep within to facilitate my own maturity process. From these chapters, I acquired a greater understanding of the Afro-American way of life and a better-informed picture of American society from a teenager's perspective. These chapters engendered excitement, suspense, and a great deal of reality and truth in Malcolm's encounters with guns, drugs, and prostitution. They were presented in a very straightforward way, and were not marred with many unbelievable ridiculous exaggerations. Every word was to be believed, every word could have been believed, and everything should have been believed. The book's primary motif of race relations cast its shadow upon every paragraph, and gradually became more involved in Malcolm's life as he proceeded into adulthood. In the middle portion of the book, Malcolm took a dramatic fall as he dropped to the lowest state of society in prison. Faced with a fork in the road, Malcolm strived for the best as he painfully resumed his education. The middle chapters were the most inspiring to read for me as a student. I certainly could relate to the processes of learning how to read and write, but never the way Malcolm went about accomplishing them. Simply put, he did it the hard way. Starting with the first page of a dictionary and blindly copying, Malcolm regained the properties of letters and words. His better-educated vocabulary led to the comprehension of ideas through words. Then books were read to facilitate the process. This snowball effect opened Malcolm's mind and understanding to the real race issue. Through this newly gained knowledge, he finally was able to understand why different people acted the way they did as well as how they went about doing so. The last portion of the book was to me the most educational. I was for the first time introduced to Islam, a religion I was not familiar with. I also learned that with fame came sacrifices, the loss of a private life, and great jealousy. I truly believed Malcolm when he said that he believed in The Honorable Elijah Muhammad, the spiritual leader of The Nation of Islam, more than he believed in himself. From that point on, the world was now seen and described through the eyes of a mature adult. I read with bewilderment as Malcolm depicted his every step in building up the Nation of Islam into a life saving organization for the Black masses in American. I shared his joy when he made the pilgrimage to Mecca and made acquaintances with world leaders and people of importance. I believed he made the best judgment of his life when he reshaped his beliefs in racial status and racial discrimination. As I neared the end of Malcolm's life, he was in the unimaginable position of facing his inevitable violent death. Great fame coupled by his celebrity status had caused tremendous hate and jealousy in the organization. The last couple of chapters really taught me something about human nature. Imagine going to sleep at night while knowing the names of the assailants hired to kill you! Furthermore, imagine if they were the same faithful students you preached to get them back on their feet in society! It was almost inconceivable. Malcolm nevertheless spent his numbered days preaching and speaking to the Afro-American population, and spreading Black pride to every corner of the world. He was brutally murdered February 21, 1965 at three o'clock in the afternoon while making his last speech in New York, with his family present. As a reader I was downhearted, but at the same time relieved that he died fighting for his people and their human rights. I feel this has been the single most influential literary piece of work I have ever encountered.

Fantastic book well written and very enlightening highly recommend

I am not someone who usually reads autobiographies as i find most of them not even worth reading, as people only make them to get extra money from it, so called celebrities like Peter Andre, Joey Essex etc, none of which I have read i'm just making a point! But this book was something else, now i'm only 18 years old so i knew little of Malcolm X and what i did know was negative reports from the media most of which was manipulated propaganda and I also knew him through from Muhammad Ali! But this book was defiantly an eye opener of someone who turned his life around to stand up for what he believed in. Although i didn't agree with all his views it was still interesting reading them! But he seemed to change his views a little after his trip to Mecca. I also thought that the "Forward" section at the beginning of the book by Gary Younge was equally as impressive as usually I loose interest in these parts in books and skip it. Overall, this has been one of the best books i have ever read and has changed my life and taught me some valuable lessons. What i read will defiantly stay with me through life and it is a book i will certainly read again.

A fascinating story and a valuable account of an important 20th century figure. It shows us a driven, disturbed, dynamic young man of tremendous intelligence and resilience which left me wondering what might have been if he had not been murdered before he reached the peak of his powers. His journey from a (relatively) happy childhood through turbulent adolescence into a man of history is compelling. We learn of the terrible traumas that shaped his life including the break-up of his family following the racist murder of his father and the subsequent (state induced) breakdown of his mother and the belittling career advice he received at school. We follow him through his teen years as a fast living zoot suited novice gangster with his hair suitably “conked” that leads inevitability to jail where he encounters Elijah Muhammad and converts to Islam. His journey in Islam is fascinating; first he is obsessed with Elijah Mohammed’s teachings which he sees as capturing the struggle of the black man in white supremacist 1950s America then, as his relationship with Elijah deteriorates, he has a further development in his thinking while on the Hajj to Mecca where he experiences people sharing a common cause (Islam) regardless of the colour of the skin. It’s a shame the book is not particularly well written. I think Haley let down Malcolm X by not using his skills as an author (evident, of course, in Roots) to provide better focus to what Malcolm X is looking to say. What we get instead, particularly in the polemic sections of the book that dominate the second part of the autobiography, is writing that comes across as streams of consciousness. As such it is, at times, repetitive, lacking in clarity and somewhat stodgy to read. You can imagine Malcolm X, in his interviews with Hayley that form the basis of this book, letting rip. That, of itself, is interesting. But it doesn’t make the best reading! Overall though, I’d put this in the a list of “must read” books for its insight into an important (and fascinating) person at a pivotal time in 20th century American history.

The Autobiography of Malcolm X is an incredible and transformative read. This book offers a raw and powerful insight into Malcolm X’s life, struggles, and evolution. It's thought-provoking and deeply inspirational, showing the complexities of his journey and how he became a pivotal figure in history. A must-read for anyone interested in civil rights, history, or personal growth. Penguin Modern Classics' edition is well-made and includes thoughtful commentary. Highly recommend

One of the most life changing books ever

This guy was one of a kind! In my honest opinion, every being who has an African heritage (take note of the use of words, I didn't say black, because as far as I know, I haven't seen a black person before neither have I set eyes on any white folk in my entire existence. According to Majek Fashek, a popular Nigerian reggae musician: '...only the angels of God are white') in them should endeavour to read this book. It is as simple as that. I knew little or nothing about this great and exceptional being before I read his autobiography. The little I knew about him was that he was very “controversial”. Then again, an Irish colleague of mine once told me a couple of years ago that I looked like Malcom X in my glasses. In order not to appear naive, I just laughed, and then made it a point of duty to research on the man - Malcom X. I tell you what, I’m glad I did and now know the “TRUTH”. The word “controversial” has always been used to describe individuals who do not conform to certain “standards”. But I always say this, so long what anyone does is within the ambits of the law, who cares? For me he wasn’t controversial, but just honest about his opinion. He voiced out what most people at the time and even now couldn’t and wouldn’t dare to say just to appear as being politically correct. I say this with every sense of responsibility: one of the greatest crime any individual could commit against themselves is self-deceit. As a Christian first and foremost and a practicing Catholic, I kind of slightly differ on one particular issue he harped on in this book, which has to do with Christianity. Then again, you could argue that his views were influenced by the actions and deeds of those who practised the Christian faith. Who knows what this guy could have achieved if only those threatened by his popularity and wisdom didn't cut short his life? But, I guess even though they get to spend a million years on planet earth, they will never and can never be as great as Malcom X. For you can only kill a person but not the words of his mouth nor his deeds. Which then leads me to ask the pertinent question, why don’t great men last? You talk about the likes of Robert Nesta Marley, Martin Luther King, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, and the list goes on and on. Just like many other great men who did suffer similar fate as him, his deeds, actions and words continue to loom larger and appear more relevant even to this day! He was indeed an embodiment of wisdom, tenacity, determination and conviction! Malcom X has left an indelible mark in the hearts and conscience of so many people – living and dead, his foes and friends, and people of all racial inclinations.

Malcolm X n'avait jamais cru qu'il vivrait assez longtemps pour vieillir... Le dimanche 21 février 1965, il est assassiné à l'age de 39ans, foudroyé par 16 balles de révolver lors d'un meeting à Harlem. Qui a commandité la crime? A qui Malcolm X fesait il peur? Et surtout qui était Malcolm X? Leader charismatique, orateur hors pair, grand "messie noir" des années soixante, celui qui proclamait "Non, je ne me considère pas comme Américain. Je fais partie des 22 millions de Noir victimes des l'américanisme (...) C'est en victime que je porte les yeux sur l'Amérique. Et ce que j'aperçois ce n'est pas le rêve américain, mais le cauchemar américain", marqua à jamais l'histoire et la vie politique américaines. Né dans le nebraska ou le Ku Klux Klan faisait alors la loi, enfant des rues à Boston, puis à New York ou il verse dans la délinquance, Malcolm fera son éducation en prison avant de devenir le porte parole du mouvement islamiste américain.... Cette passionnante autobiographie, ou malcolm raconte son combat et sa vie avec franchise et émotion, est à l'origine du film de Spikee Lee: Malcolm X avec Denzel Washington dans le role titre.

A very important autobiography of a man who withstood and excelled the tests of our times. A must-read for insight into the histories of America, post-WW2 analyses and into the life of man who remains a source of greatness and inspiration.

Awsome book to read with the bio graphies. Good book to spend time with..............

I have been going through an autobiography/memoir phase for the past couple of years. This is probably the best one I've read so far. Regardless of whether you like Malcolm X or not; whether you're Muslim or not; racist or not; black or white--read it!

The autobiography of Malcolm X, as told to Alex Haley, allowed my mental, physical and spiritual access. I met the other side of his histories, I saw his social fights, purpose to enhance black people in the USA, I heard his lectures, as well. This book is incredible!