Malcolm X

Alex Haley

Written by Alex Haley from conversations with the Negro leader over a period of two years before his death.

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

Yes, I have cherished my "demagogue" role. I know that societies often have killed the people who have helped to change those societies. And if I can die having brought any light, having exposed any meaningful truth that will help to destroy the racist cancer that is malignant in the body of America-then, all of the credit is due to Allah. Only the mistakes have been mine.

Kay so Queso

The art of deception practiced by the Negro was based on a thorough understanding of the white man's mores, he said; at the same time the Negro has remained a closed book to the white man, who has never displayed any interest in understanding the Negro. (Page xii)

…a dedicated organizer for Marcus Aurelius Garvey's U.N.I.A. (Universal Negro Improvement Association).

I know this is a fucked up comparison, but this reminds me of JuiceWRLD talking about legends dying young and “predicting” his own death. I remember a friend telling me “omg it’s so crazy he did that”, but I took it more as he knew the kind of F’d up lifestyle he was living and that it had the same likely ending as the others; I read this in a similar vein. He’s not fortune telling here, but he’s read this story before and he knows how it ends.

Queue 'Atlanta': “You too Martin, and you know what they did to him?”

It has always been my belief that I, too, will die by violence. I have done all that I can to be prepared.

God dang, so little changes over time; the token Black friend is still a construct (although in a different context now)

He was the type who would never have been associated with Africa, until the fad of having African friends became a status-symbol for “middle-class" Negroes.

…I've thought back to that fight and reflected that it was Allah's work to stop me: I might have wound up punchy.

I wonder what he would think of today’s “colorblind” approach to race relations 

Whites are correct in thinking that black people are natural dancers.

God he’s so funny, this really shows the value of travelling and experiencing different lives

My appearance staggered the older boys I had once envied: I'd stick out my hand, saying “Skin me, daddy-o!" My stories about the Big Apple, my reefers keeping me sky-high-wherever I went, I was the life of the party. "My man! ... Gimme some skin!”

Merchant marine sailors often brought in foreign items, bargains, and the best marijuana cigarettes to be had were made of the “gunja” and “kisca” that merchant sailors smuggled in from Africa and Persia.

Or again, any number of musicians could tell you who I mean when I say that one of the most famous singers smoked his reefers through a chicken thighbone.

A lot of the whites, drunk, would go staggering up to Negroes, the waiters, the owners, or Negroes at tables, wringing their hands, even trying to hug them, “You're just as good as I am – I want you to know that!"

That’s why I’ve been loving this book. He’s interesting of course, but the Malcolm X I heard of is nothing like the Malcolm X I’ve been reading about. It really is amazing to read about all the different personal and life influences he’s had to make him this way

But people are always speculating why am I as I am? To understand that of any person, his whole life, from birth, must be reviewed.

But I am spending many hours because the full story is the best way that I know to have it seen, and understood, that I had sunk to the very bottom of the American white man's society when — soon now, in prison — I found Allah and the religion of Islam and it completely transformed my life.

I ducking agree. Such loss of freedom must be devastating.

Not to say I don’t believe in prison at all, but good Lord I wish we had a society capable of rehabilitation moreso than punishment.

Any person who claims to have deep feeling for other human beings should think a long, long time before he votes to have other men kept behind bars — caged.

Oh he actually agrees with my exact sentiments in the next two statements lmao

I am not saying there shouldn't be prisons, but there shouldn't be bars. Behind bars, a man never reforms.

This is very much along the lines of Nietszche’s critiques of Christianity, from its origins in the Roman Empire as the religion of slaves. This is really interesting, I love this.

This white man's Christian religion further deceived and brainwashed this “Negro” to always turn the other cheek, and grin, and scrape, and bow, and be humble, and to sing, and to pray, and to take whatever was dished out by the devilish white man; and to look for his pie in the sky, and for his heaven in the hereafter, while right here on earth the slavemaster white man enjoyed his heaven.

Love the perspective on the personal value of this religious appeal

"The white man is the devil" is a perfect echo of that black convict's lifelong experience.

It’s a shame more people don’t know Malcolm X’s story; he’s actually great muslim representation, I wish we had it more commonly

I went to bed every night ever more awed. If not Allah, who eIse could have put such wisdom into that little humble lamb of a man from the Georgia fourth grade and sawmills and cotton patches.

God, I don’t wanna keep harping on this but lines like this hit so damn hard knowing how he died

He always seemed deathly afraid that someone would harm him, and he insisted that everyone be searched to forestall this. Today I understand better, why.

Snakes couldn't have turned on me faster than the liberal. 

Yes, I will pull off that liberal's halo that he spends such efforts cultivating! The Norths liberals have been for so long pointing accusing fingers at the South and getting away with it that they have fits when they are exposed as the world's worst hypocrites.

ONE OF TIME’S TEN MOST IMPORTANT NONFICTION BOOKS OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY In the searing pages of this classic autobiography, originally published in 1964, Malcolm X, the Muslim leader, firebrand, and anti-integrationist, tells the extraordinary story of his life and the growth of the Black Muslim movement. His 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 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. It is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand America. Praise for The Autobiography of Malcolm X “Extraordinary . . . a brilliant, painful, important book.”—The New York Times “This book will have a permanent place in the literature of the Afro-American struggle.”—I. F. Stone

Amna A.

Wow... Malcolm X... You have astounded me...

Malcolm X, an African-American who has gone from being one of the most notorious drug dealers in the ghettos of Harlem, from a person who looked upon the white race with awe, to a keen follower of the teachings of the Elijah Mohammed, a fake, self-declared prophet from Allah, and a hater of "the devil white man", a complete 180 degree turn. Until finally, after he had visited Mecca on the Hajj pilgrimage, had he truly discovered the authentic meaning of Islam. He had witnessed how worshiping one single God could contribute to the oneness of the society worshiping that God. He was awestruck by how strong strong the brotherhood was between the pilgrims of a hundred different colors, languages, traditions, and behaviors.

Truly a remarkable book.

so good! so informative! what a man! haley told the story so well, and i must reread now that i’ve read the epilogue. 

lucy p

One of the best books I’ve ever read. Insanely enthralling and educating while intimately connecting you with one of our most inspiring social leaders.

I can't say enough good things about this book. From start to finish, it was captivating and really taught me a lot. Obviously Malcolm X the leader is quite well-known and interesting, but every part of this book was interesting and helped give insight into his perspective. His childhood, adolescence, time in prison and growth into a man all carried different messages and lessons for us to learn from. I honestly kept thinking that "the next" part of the book wouldn't be as interesting, but it never stopped. It was amazing. I loved reading about his zoot suits and conks, and was so pleased to learn how his perspective mellowed out during his time in making the pilgrimage to Mecca.

Overall, I'd recommend this book to just about everyone. Even if you don't think you'd like it, it's worth reading the first chapter or two to check it out. Alex Haley does a phenomenal job turning Malcolm X's life into a navigable story and I cannot say enough great things about this book.

One of the best books I’ve ever read. Insanely enthralling and educating while intimately connecting you with one of our most inspiring social leaders.

I can't say enough good things about this book. From start to finish, it was captivating and really taught me a lot. Obviously Malcolm X the leader is quite well-known and interesting, but every part of this book was interesting and helped give insight into his perspective. His childhood, adolescence, time in prison and growth into a man all carried different messages and lessons for us to learn from. I honestly kept thinking that "the next" part of the book wouldn't be as interesting, but it never stopped. It was amazing. I loved reading about his zoot suits and conks, and was so pleased to learn how his perspective mellowed out during his time in making the pilgrimage to Mecca.

Overall, I'd recommend this book to just about everyone. Even if you don't think you'd like it, it's worth reading the first chapter or two to check it out. Alex Haley does a phenomenal job turning Malcolm X's life into a navigable story and I cannot say enough great things about this book.

Even though it requieres the reader to pass through a number of obviously dated and misogynistic passages, it is a must read for anyone interested in understanding key figures in the fight for racial justice and human rights.

Nast

A must read. Well written and deeply revealing

Harris Shahzad

The Black leader discusses his political philosophy and reveals details of his life, shedding light on the ideas that enabled him to gain the allegiance of a still growing percentage of the Black population

rumbledethumps

A classic redemption memoir, skillfully told and unafraid to tell the parts of his life he’s not proud of. Just a really great book.

My favorite book. Please do yourself a favor and read this. 

They called him the 'angriest black man in America' . . . Celebrated and vilified the world over for his courageous but bitter fight to gain for millions of black men and women the equality and respect denied them by their white neighbours, Malcolm X inspired as many people in the United States as he caused to fear him. His remarkable autobiography, completed just before his murder in 1965, ranges from Omaha and Michigan to Harlem and Mecca, and tells of a young, disenfranchised man whose descent into drug addition, robbery and prison was only reversed by his belief in the rights struggle for black America, and his conversion to the Nation of Islam. Not only is this an enormously important record of the Civil Rights Movement in America, but also the scintillating story of a man who refused to allow anyone to tell him who or what he was.

Nour sabrine

A ground breaking Discovery. 
We always hear about Malcolm X yet we're taught so little, this book traces back the journey of a man who has been to the darkest parts of his soul and back. A worthwhile book for a full nation to be educated

Mennatallah Moustafa 

As Malclom said "People don't realize how a man's whole life can be changed by one book"
He was fascinating, a remarkably fascinating man !

Ashlyn

Malcolm X has been unjustly represented in school history books. This autobiography should be required reading for all Americans.

Sarah Escorsa

Definitely one of the best autobiographies of all time.

Marcos Silva

A book that give us a good image of the racial issues in the US, but that can be extended to other countries. It also shows how a man gets enlightened and changes.

Rose Stanley

Fascinating, thought-provoking, unputdownable. 
And so's the book, arfarfarf.

For real though - imagine hearing this man speak!

Yes, for all he's intelligent and eloquent, there's plenty Mr X says that I *don't* agree with (the theory re Shakespeare's real identity is probably the least serious point of contention), but how can you *not* envy Alex Haley getting to engage with him in this way? Putting this together must have been electric.

Also, that last line...perfection.

Natalie Hanna

“I’ve had enough of someone else’s propaganda. I’m for truth, no matter who tells it. I’m for justice, no matter who it is for or against. I’m a human being first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” -X

The Autobiography of Malcolm X with the Assistance, (forew.) of Alex Haley

Maxime van der Wal

This autobiography perfectly outlines the fascinating life of Malcolm X and the reasons behind the decisions he has made. It is passionate, insightful and well-written. I felt like I was on a journey along with Malcolm throughout his upbringing in Michigan to living in Harlem, surviving prison and becoming a minister of the Nation of Islam. His determination and eagerness to consume as much information as possible inspired me on several occassions. I don't think I'm equipped to convey how much I appreciate having had such an intimate insight to Malcolm's life, so I'm just going to leave some of the quotes which were the most hard-hitting for me personally, and hopefully they inspire you to pick up this book as well: 

 "It's like the N-gro in America seeing the white man win all the time. He's a professional gambler; he has all the cards and the odds stacked on his side, and he has always dealt to our people from the bottom of the deck." 

"Any person who claims to have deep feeling for other human beings should think a long, long time before he votes to have other men kept behind bars - caged. I am not saying there shouldn't be prisons, but there shouldn't be bars. Behind bars, a man never reforms. He will never forget. He never will get completely over the memory of the bars."

"The black prisoner, he said, symbolized white society's crime of keeping black men oppressed and deprived and ignorant, and unable to get decent jobs, turning them into criminals."

"Here was one of the white man's most characteristic behavior patterns - where black men are concerned. He loves himself so much that he is startled if he discovers that his victims don't share his vainglorious self-opinion."

"'The greatest miracle Christianity has achieved in America is that the black man in white Christian hands has not grown violent. It is a miracle that 22 million black people have not risen up against their oppressors - in which they would have been justified by all moral criteria, and even by the democratic tradition! It is a miracle that a nation of black people has so fervently continued to believe in a turn-the-other-cheek and heaven-for-you-after-you-die philosophy! It is a miracle that the American black people have remained a peaceful people, while catching all the centuries of hell that they have caught, here in white man's heaven! The miracle is that the white man's puppet N-gro 'leaders', his preachers and the educated N-groes laden with degrees, and others who have been allowed to wax fat off their black poor brothers, have been able to hold the black masses quiet until now.'"

"'Unless we call one white man, by name, a "devil", we are not speaking of any individual white man. We are speaking of the collective white man's historical record. We are speaking of the collective white man's cruelties, and evils, and greeds, that have seen him act like a devil toward the non-white man. Any intelligent, honest, objective person cannot fail to realize that this white man's slave trade, and his subsequent devilish actions are directly responsible for not only the presence of this black man in America, but also for the condition in which we find this black man here. You cannot find one black man, I do not care who he is, who has not been personally damaged in some way by the devilish acts of the collective white man!'"  

And there are MANY more.

Makena Whitaker

I had to read this for the summer. I loved the book, Malcolm's life story is tough.

Malcolm X's blazing, legendary autobiography, completed shortly before his assassination in 1965, depicts a remarkable life: a child born into rage and despair, who turned to street-hustling and cocaine in the Harlem ghetto, followed by prison, where he converted to the Black Muslims and honed the energy and brilliance that made him one of the most important political figures of his time - and an icon in ours. It also charts the spiritual journey that took him beyond militancy, and led to his murder, a powerful story of transformation, redemption and betrayal. Vilified by his critics as an anti-white demagogue, Malcolm X gave a voice to unheard African-Americans, bringing them pride, hope and fearlessness, and remains an inspirational and controversial figure today.

Pia Sophia

I didn't like Paul Gilroy's introduction to this book. His choice of words, and I quote: "Malcolm's demonic personality" made me feel like Gilroy looked at things in black and white while he was not able to fully comprehend what exactly Malcolm X was fighting for. 

However, Alex Haley's foreword showed an elaborate insight in his early encounters with Malcolm X and with how their complicated relationship started. The transcripts of Malcolm's scribbles during their talk and the quotations of Malcolm's words, however small a portion of the whole, light up the whole by being detailed fragments of a revolutionary's mind I didn't know I needed until I read them. In his introduction, Alex Haley shows us the friendship that grew between him and Malcolm X, along with the change that took place in him and what he stood for in the two years they worked on his autobiography together. 

Malcolm X' autobiography gives an elaborate insight in the (early) life of a man widely known, loved and feared until this very day. I devoured this book. Of course, I've watched and read about Malcolm X before, but never before I felt like I really got to know him like I did when reading this book. 
I honestly feel like this book should be mandatory reading material in schools. People need to know how institutionalized racism affects the world and what lengths humanity could go when we would treat each other like we should. Everyone, and by that I truly mean EVERYONE, should read this autobiography. It doesn't romanticize anything, it's the raw truth. It may be painful to read to some, but that's no reason not to do it. 
Malcolm X knew, from a young age, that he wouldn't live to grow old, and yet he dedicated his life to fight for justice. He knew people were after his life and yet he didn't fear death as much as he felt it was important to educate the people and change their conscience and thinking. There is no excuse for us, the next and the new generations, to turn the other cheek anymore. Not when ignorance is a choice in this era.

Oskar

Alex Deee

What an amazing book. At its simplest it's a record of the civil rights movement, of Harlem hustlers, and early American Islam. But Malcolm is such a powerful, magnetic person, and his evolution is so compelling. 

The last chapter by Alex Haley is just as valuable as the rest of the book. And the story of how the book came to be is in itself incredible. 

Throughout I kept thinking about parallels between Harlem ghettoes and the present day bombed out recruiting grounds where ISIS finds its members. And I wonder what Malcolm would think of groups like Public Enemy claiming his image. 

I'll be thinking about this book for a long time to come.

Paul Camacho

Through a life of passion and struggle, Malcolm X became one of the most influential figures of the 20th Century. In this riveting account, he tells of his journey from a prison cell to Mecca, describing his transition from hoodlum to Muslim minister. Here, the man who called himself "the angriest Black man in America" relates how his conversion to true Islam helped him confront his rage and recognize the brotherhood of all mankind. An established classic of modern America, The Autobiography of Malcolm X was hailed by the New York Times as "Extraordinary. A brilliant, painful, important book." Still extraordinary, still important, this electrifying story has transformed Malcom X's life into his legacy. The strength of his words, the power of his ideas continue to resonate more than a generation after they first appeared.