The Autobiography of Malcolm X

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Summary: The Greatest book I have ever read.
Review: Malcolm X was known to be a very violent man, from what I have learned from my history teachers. But after reading this book I have a whole new respect for Malcolm X. Unlike other activists who are portrayed better, Malcolm X both has the good and bad parts about his life. The Autobiography of Malcolm X goes in depth of what it was like for him growing up in a white nation and how he helped changed the lives of not only the black community but every other ethnicity in the United States today. I highly reccommend this book for anyone who is willing to hear what it's like in the life of Malcolm X.

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Summary: Truth Hurts!!![.]
Review: Before I read the book, I saw the Spike Lee film. The film was good, the book was great...blowing the film away!! Sadly, "Spikeroo" missed a lot of the raw power and message of the book in the crossover. As I read the book, I constantly thought of the line from the film, "...I decided to dedicate my life to telling the truth to the white man's face." The book tells the truth about everyone and everything they're involved in...white, black, class, money, culture, consumer debt...everything! Many think of Malcolm X as a stubborn militant, but nothing is further from the truth. His life is an epic, and many times painful, journey of body, mind and soul across the vast US social landscape of the 1930's to the 1960's. Alex Hailey penned the book in such a warm and technically inviting way that the reader feels like they're sitting with Malcolm over a cup of coffee, engulfed by this one man's life. Every person of any race who calls themself an American needs to read this book at least once...by any means necessary!

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Summary: his own story, unfiltered
Review: This book is his own side of the story and is among the most readable of autobiographies. I feel it is important to read this book because it concerns the life of someone who undergoes the most extreme of metamorphoses. The manner in which Malcolm X tells his story ensures that the reader gains an uncontaminated impression of his life. One may not agree with all or any of his ideology, but that's to miss the point. Surely it is more important and profitable to endeavour to understand why this highly intelligent individual believed what he believed. Many questions are raised, few have been answered, even today almost 40 years on.

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Summary: Malcolm X
Review: This was a great book about a great man. You should not read this book if you can not take criticism. In this book an African-American man who had grown up hating white people and his oddysey of change before his tragic, early death. Malcolm was a son of a baptist preacher. The he became a black muslim and converted to a Muslim. The Black Muslims end up assinating him.

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Summary: Excellent book!
Review: This book is extremely well-written; you can almost imagine hearing Malcolm X speaking. I was interested in this book because I did not know the differences between Islam and the "Nation of Islam".

The transformations that take place in Malcolm's life are drastic; from "living like an animal; thinking like an animal" to the concientious person he became is a tribute to his faith, his intellect and integrity. From what I see, after his Haj, he came to see that all races have good and bad. "The true Islam has shown me that a blanket indictment of all white people is as wrong as when whites make blanket indictments against blacks."

It is unfortunate that the clever reviewer from North Carolina did not gain anything from this book other than an easy target for his sarcastic humor. Perhaps he is a product of his culture and may later learn true brotherhood from someone as great as Malcolm X.

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Summary: Best autobiography ever
Review: This book is a well-written account of the life of one of the most interesting people ever. If all you know about Malcolm X is what you learned in school, you know nothing yet. The story is riveting from the beginning, and Malcolm's life as a criminal in Boston and New York is depicted incredibly well. After he ends up in prison and converts (while incarcerated) to Islam, he emerges transformed and becomes a prominent political figure. He grows from a small-scale crook to a public figure of great stature and integrity. Eventually he breaks with the Nation of Islam, travels to Mecca, and takes a more moderate political stance. If the government and/or the Nation of Islam hadn't had him killed, who knows what he might have become? Malcolm X is a fascinating figure and Alex Haley is a good writer/interviewer. Best autobiography ever.

Those interested in another point of view on this book should check out Matthew Celis' January 2003 review as well ;)

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Summary: Malcolm X
Review: This is the best book I have ever read. It changed my life. Every person - black, white, rich, poor - should read this book.

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Summary: Once again...
Review: Once again, a vivid account of Malcolm X's life. Alex has done it again!

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Summary: The Truth About Malcolm X
Review: I actually read this book quite by accident. I was headed out of the library aisle with my stack of audio books for the week when this book caught my eye. Someone had knocked it out of place and it was jutting out, and so I picked it up.

I must confess that the Malcolm X that we studied about in American history (for that brief mention he receieved) was the Malcolm that was depicted in the middle of the book--the Malcolm who had just been released from prison. The Malcolm that Malcolm X came to be at the end of his life was a story that I was quite unfamiliar with.

It's actually quite amazing that Malcolm X made anything out of his life. He had such an incredibly tragic childhood and hearing this story actually afforded me a better understanding of the hatred that he developed toward the right race during the middle of his life. Placed in his shoes, we all might have a somewhat different outlook of the world at large. If anything, the fact that he became the well-known figure he did, speaks to a strength of character that is quite formidable.

Most of us are familiar with the Malcolm X of the Elijah Mohammed days. This is the Malcolm that preached hatred and revolution, which as I have already mentioned, is quite understandable with a review of his life's circumstances to this point.

The Malcolm X that returned from Mecca is the Malcolm that I was never aware of. One has to wonder what the fate of race relations might have been in the United States would be if Malcolm had lived to carry his dream forward. Who knows, we could have escaped some of the violence of the 60's and 70's and be farther along on the road.

This is a must read for any student of American history, regardless of their ethnic background. Malcolm's story must and should be told.

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Summary: This IS the definative Biography
Review: There have been more books written about El Haj Malik Shabbazz[Malcolm X] then anyone can read in a lifetime. What makes this one stand out is that it came from the mans own mouth. With the exeption of the last chapter, these are his words, his story, not someone elses interpretation of his life. It's also an easy read which allows one to absorb the story without a lot of analyzing. Alex Haley as author and Malcolm X as subject -- two of the most important men of our time, makes for a most prized and intriguing work. A must-have and an asset to American literature.