By Any Means Necessary

I think the best way to describe this great book is a few excerpts."... by any means necessary. That's our motto. We want freedom by any means necessary. We want justice by any means necessary. We want equality by any means necessary.""We won't organize any black man to be a Democrat or a Republican because both of them have sold us out.""Those who claim to be enemies of the system were on their hands and knees waiting for [Democratic president] Johnson to get elected because he's supposed to be a man of peace; and he has troops invading the Congo [in Africa] right now and invading Saigon [Vietnam]....""This political, economic, and social system of America was produced from the enslavement of the black man and that particular system is capable only of reproducing that out of which itself was produced.""No, you have got no friends in Washington, D.C.... You've got friends in Africa, friends in Asia, friends in Latin America.""[The] thing that I would like to impress upon every Afro-American leader is that no kind of action in this country is ever going to bear fruit unless that action is tied in with the overall international struggle."(In one of his speeches, Malcolm read the founding statement of the Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU) which he led, adding his own comments. Malcolm didn't write the statement himself; it was developed by a committee of the new group.)"[quoting OAAU] 'A first step in the program to end the existing system of racist education is to demand that the 10 percent of the [New York city] schools the Board of Education will not include in its [desegregation] plan be turned over to and run by the Afro-American community itself.'""[quoting OAAU] 'The [Black] community must ... wage an unrelenting struggle against police brutality.'""Wherever you have organized crime, that type of crime cannot exist other than with the consent of the police, the knowledge of the police and the cooperation of the police.... [Criminals] pay the police off so that they will not get arrested. I know what I'm talking about - I used to be out there.""[quoting OAAU] 'We propose to support and organize political clubs, to run independent candidates for office, and to support any Afro-American already in office who answers to and is responsible to the Afro-American community.' We don't support any black man who is controlled by the white power structure."I recommend the ads in the back of the book. Pathfinder Press is defined by a political goal, not commercial success. It aims to provide a platform for revolutionary leaders speaking in their own words. If you like one book, you will probably like others.I also recommend "Malcolm X Talks to Young People". (See my review. Click on my name at the beginning of this review, then “Reviews”.)(I am a long-time socialist and supporter of the Socialist Workers Party, the Militant newspaper and Pathfinder Press.)

This is a great collection of Malcolm's post Nation of Islam speeches that will give you a broad perspective on Malcolm's ideas, beliefs and values. Malcolm grew rapidly in the 11 months after his split from the NOI and up to his death. In these speeches you will see that Malcolm was in an authentic search for self-improvement and a way to better the substandard conditions of his people. You will also see that in contrast to the kinder, gentler Malcolm that many try to label him as in this period, you still see that same anger for the government and its injustices that Malcolm always displayed.I believe that many people self-righteously try to pit the "good Malcolm" post Mecca against the "violent demagogue" of the Nation of Islam. I believe this assertion is incorrect. Aside from his ideas of separation and belief in the innate evil of all whites, Malcolm's views did not change significantly after his trip to Mecca. He always advocated self-defense, he never embraced non-violent civil disobedience, and he was always disdainful of the corrupt and hypocritical white power structure until his dying day. However, many people who want to discount Malcolm X completely write off Malcolm pre Mecca so they do not have to face the many truths that Malcolm spoke throughout his whole career. These speeches are essential for the person who wants a true analysis of who Malcolm was and what really went on during this very important period of his life.

Ordered it for my boyfriend for his bday, he love’s MalcomX

Loved this book. Gave a lot of perspective that was not in his autobiography and it expressed his growth as a person.

I thought the book was excellent. I being a white English-american woman was forced to question everything negative I ever heard about Malcolm. I can truly say his message is inspiring. For those who are uncomfortable about Malcolm's message, I challenge you to put yourself in his place with all the experiences and pain he has gone through in his life. I challenge you to look through the tears and suffering that invisibly envelope his message to see a real human being wanting to better the world for all people.

Absolutely Love Malcolm X. He was ahead of his time. Everything he said then is true today. Malcolm X is my motivation and mentor. Read this book.

Superb book

We should teach about him in schools as well as MLK JR, this is a really great book.