Rating: 
Summary: Informative
Review: The Epilogue and Introduction are both a bit tedious, but the main part of the book is great. It gives you quite a view into the entire life of Malcolm X, and deep insights into why he said much of what he said and believed much of what he did.Aside from his life, it's also very informative. That man knew a lot!
Rating: 
Summary: A phenomenal read.
Review: I recently read this book and it has been one of the most intriguing works I have ever read. This book really opened my eyes to the struggles of Afro-Americans living in the United States. Malcom Little was truly an innovative, extremely intelligent man. I was fascinated at some of his theories of creation and the way he articulates himself. However, the book does run a bit garrulous at times like when he mentions the interminable list of musicians he knew and grew up with. Also many of his points are brilliant, but many I do not agree with at all. You can see the transformation Malcom went from his collective anti-white days to a realization that RACISM is the real enemy - not the white man. Some of his opinions and conclusions are immensely exaggerated such as his view of Christianity being "the white man's religion," or his complete neglect to mention how Muslims had been forcing Africans into slavery long before the Europeans and early American settlers, but this book is nevertheless powerful and I STRONGLY recommend it whether you are black, hispanic, asian, middle-eastern, or even white - like me. You will see and understand that Malcom X was not the hateful man many mistook him to be. He may have been, but he DID CHANGE and it's a shame he died at such a crucial time in his life.
Rating:
Summary: This book changed my life (NOT an understatement)
Review: I read this book shortly after coming out of that teenage phase of 'jungle mentality' where only the fiitest and most ruthless survive. This book should be an integral part of schooling in this millenium as it tells of the rise, heavy fall and rise again of a black child born into prejudiced society, taking a common way out and then recieving the wake up call. It tells of how anyone, if they apply themselves, can achieve their goals and a thorough insight into the interactions between different races and religions which can breed war and peace. It tells of a man that became a strong believer and rigidly exhalted those principles. Malcolm X gave ME a belief that I can study and achieve and STILL keep a strong sense of racial pride. I first read this 11 years ago and I'm now reading it again for the eighth time... Do not pass go, do not collect £200, just go directly to the store and buy this book now...
Rating:
Summary: Don't speculate, read!
Review: If there ever was a so misunderstood man who has lived then it has to be Malcolm X. This book is a living testimony to the life and times of Malcolm X, his courage, his strength, his determination, his intelligence and his honesty. This book is highly readable, this book will provide you with the right information so that what you take forward in your thoughts will be things based on knowledge, facts and experience rather than just pure opinion and speculation. Okay, he was misunderstood, but he was understood by most of the people who really counted, the people who he fought for, the people who he reached out to. Malcolm X, the autobiography of one of the most important figures of teh 20th Century. regards, martyn_jones@iniciativas.com
Rating:
Summary: Strength in one man
Review: After reading the biography of Malcolm X, my life was changed. I read this because I noticed the difference between a group of white people and a group of black people discussing Malcolm X just before the famous Spike Lee film was released. Needless to say there is a vast difference. This book alone stands as a testament of one man's courage, honor, strength, and inspiration. I can not recommend any other book to read more than this one. The rest are just stories. This book is an epic. It will change your life. Haley's prose and organization make the book work, and Malcolm's honesty tells the story of our nation through the eyes of one of the most intelligent and beautiful men who has ever lived, and probably ever will.
Rating:
Summary: Biography of a Modern Day Philosopher
Review: Malcolm X's rise from poverty and criminality to fame as an intellectual powerhouse for the Nation of Islam is a story worthy of the greatest playwright. In his autobiography we hear the words from Malcolm's own mouth. What impressed me most about Malcolm was not his charisma or way with people and words, but his intense inner strength, both spiritually and intelluctually. When asked by someone what was his alma mater, Malcolm replied, "Books." This story is in the tradition of Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, and other great "self made" men. The part of the autobiography that amazed me was when Malcolm talks about how he self educated himself in prison. He says that he went from not even being able to write in a straight line on a piece of paper to debating with a Harvard seminary student. When Malcolm was released from prison he continued his education, learning more and more each day, making his mind sharper and stronger with each moment. Malcolm went from being a petty thug to being one of America's greatest speakers and philosophers. Throughout the autobiography you see Malcolm grow from a man so focused on his goal that he is blind to his surroundings to a man so at peace with the world that he has outgrown his former compatriots who are still blind. To our great misfortune Malcolm was not able to spread his message personally to the millions and millions who need to hear it. But he did leave the message in this book. Reading this book shows one how truly wise Malcolm was. It shows how filled with love and compassion this man was although many did, and still do, think that all he stood for was hate. Malcolm did not stand for hate, he stood for freedom, freedom of the soul, freedom of the mind. The only way to truly understand a person is to hear them speak. So I beg you, please pick up this book and hear the man speak, hear the man's message. See if you can feel the intense strength this man possessed, a strength so powerful that decades after his death, it still manages to convey itself through the pages of this book.
Rating:
Summary: Hard to read, but should be required reading
Review: After hearing that this is considered one of the best autobiographies ever written, I recommended this to my book group, which is consisted of 11 white women. It was a hard read. I became angry and defensive, especially in the beginning. If you are going to read this book, make certain that you read it to the very end. It is important that you have the capacity to put yourself in another person's shoes. If you can do this during this read, I assure you that you will be transformed. It is extraordinarily well written and gives insight into another person's soul. Our group had the loudest discussion ever! After reading it, rent Spike Lee's movie, it is also excellent.
Rating:
Summary: "The angriest black man in America"
Review: When a white man is discovered to be a racist, he is denounced as a Nazi, a fomentor of hate, a supremacist. Conversely, when a black man is declared to be a "racist", he is described as an inverted Nazi, a black Fascist, a chauvinist, a nativist, an Afrocentrist. Such was the fiery demagogue and militant ani-integrationist, Malcolm X. Rising from a life as a drug-addicted pimp and hustler in the streets, he became a minister in the Nation of Islam, a black nationalist organisation founded by Elijah Muhammad, a dangerous charlatan and intellectual seducer. The movement's body of doctrine comprised a smattering of Islamic religiosity, reactionary anti-white and anti-integrationist politics, a belief (partly millennarian, partly mythological) in the historical role and destiny of the black race, and a number of ethical precepts of Elijah Muhammad's own invention. It is in his break with the movement, and his mentor, however, (described in the latter part of the book) that Malcolm X demonstrates true nobility of character. Emerging as a leader of immense intelligence, profound integrity and surpassing eloquence, he grew to eventually reject both black racism as well as humanitarian hypocrisy, with its piecemeal concessions and reforms. His most correct insight was the recognition of the pervasiveness of racism in American society, and that racism is an ineradicable social fact that can never be denied as long as colour-differences remain. Another valuable insight was his belief that integration may be, in reality, quite detrimental and even self-deceptive, as it would fail to eliminate differences and would thus entail tensions and double-standards. Nevertheless, his success lay in his ability to deploy increasingly practical methods of political resistance, whose matrix was the arena of international politics, thus enabling him to whip up the whirlwind of popularity that he did. His biography is a lesson in how a man may be made by a movement, but who would eventually outgrow it, preventing it from engulfing him, and thus realising his true individual potentials.
Rating:
Summary: The Strength of Malcom's Inner Being
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed The Autobiography of Malcom X. It is definitely one of my personal favorites. From the beginning of the story, we are drawn in to Malcoms world. We experience racism and predjudice through the eyes and heart of a victim. We experience vividly, life in the ghettos of Harlem, Ney York. I love the colorful descriptions painted by Hailey to give the reader the picture of what Malcom was going through. I could really feel Malcom's struggle to achieve "whiteness" or " perfection." For example, when he inflicts tremendous pain upon hiimself just to get " straight" hair or " beutiful" hair like white peoples. Hailey describes Malcoms wild nights on the town as a drug dealer and a bookie in Harlem New York. As the story goes on, Malcom's views and lifestyle take a complete 180 degree turn. He goes from being a party animal,crime ridden adn goign nowherein life; to being a religious, family man, a self driven force for the Nation of Islam. I enjoyed the persistence Malcom exhibited throughtout his life. He was hated by tthe country, yet he held strong in his beliefs. He spends his entire life pushing to spread the nations of Islam to eeryone who will listen and accept it. Whenever someone tries to push him down he retalitated, peacefully. His peaceful actions impacted me a lot. For example, when he and his brothers stand outside of a government building to protest a wrongful action taken against them. He never threatens, but remains steadfast. I admired how Hailey was able to portray Malcom as the affable man that he truly was. Rather that painting him as a monster, he illustrated an intelligent, honorable man in the book.This book is honest and full of vivid pictures. It offers the true account of Malcom, hated by so many, at a pretty easy reading level, yet is still interesting and entertaining to read.
Rating:
Summary: words of wisdom
Review: This is one of the best books I have ever read. All students, teachers, and others should be required to read this autobiography.
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