The Autobiography of Malcolm X, as told to Alex Haley

[chipmunk-planet.livejournal.com]

Everyone and their brother has read this book but me it seems, but I'm glad I did.

Wow. This is one book that I think everyone should read, because it's one of the most compelling stories I've ever come across.

An observant, intelligent child who wanted to be a lawyer when he grew up, raised in a middle-class family, Malcolm Little's life is slowly torn apart after the murder of his father by white supremacists. His family falls into poverty and he is taken away from his mother, who ends up in a mental institution. Malcolm takes up a life of crime, drugs, and loose women at an early age, and by the time he ends up in prison he can hardly put two words together that isn't some sort of street slang.

He credits prison as saving his life, but I think it only gave him space for his natural academic brilliance to come out. He became a voracious reader, especially in the realm of philosophy, and in prison was introduced to the Nation of Islam (which was a man named Elijah Muhammad's version of Islam, with heavy focus on black solidarity and separatism).

After prison, Malcolm X (the X was to symbolize his unknown African surname) rose up to become the number-two man in the Nation of Islam, and one of the premier speakers in the civil rights movement.

The thing that stands out most to me is Malcolm himself. You can't help but like the man, and you can see that Alex Haley likes him as well -- it comes out all through the story.

I cannot recommend this book too highly. It's not for someone who doesn't want to take a serious look at the history of the US or its racial politics, but for someone willing to look at the matter with an open mind, this is a one of those books that will make you read it carefully and think about every page.

Comments

[lamboyster.livejournal.com]

I went to Malcolm X. Shabazz High School...so, for obvious reasons, reading this book was the first requirement in one of only two required classes at the school. It was really good for everyone, introduced us to why the school was named after him, and why it was named Shabazz, but also why the X. was still included, and was a great platform for an often insightful and compassionate group of highschoolers, in a largely forum-based curriculum.

What I really remember, however, is in 4th grade reading this when my teacher found out I'd already read the requirement "Island of the Blue Dolphins". Looking back in high school, I couldn't believe how myself and 4 other kids (maybe 10 years old) were able to get through this, but I know we did. I couldn't distinctly remember a lot of details; the only one that stood out was the issue of appearance, ironing his hair and wearing a Zoot suit because it sounded so wild, but I know it affected us in a (presumably positive) profound way. I know that when I was 10 or 11 I didn't take that serious look at US history or racial politics, but I would still recommend it for a surprisingly young audience, as a compelling story for children who won't be interested in drier academic biographies for awhile, as a story about a remarkable but overlooked and misinterpreted figure in US history.

[bkworm9.livejournal.com]

This is a popular "all-time favorite book" amongst my friends, and while it doesn't make my list, it's definitely up there. I think it's especially important for understanding the complex position Malcolm X occupied in terms of the civil rights movement and racial/religious politics. I think most people, who perhaps have not read this book, think of him as the very violent, sinister counterpart to the peace-loving MLK, Jr. But I think those two portrayals are too simplistic, and this book shows why.

Incidentally, there's another book out there, by James H. Cone (writer of color and theologian) who wrote a book called Martin and Malcolm & America: A Dream or a Nightmare). I haven't read it yet but it certainly sounds intriguing.