Autobiography of Malcolm X

The life of malcolm x (may allah have mercy on him) is a testament to allah swt's qadr (predestination). His life was raw, honest and unfiltered. This is one of those books that all men must read to understand what real masculinity means, when u finish this book youll be left in awe and utter inspiration for malcolm x. Read it, now!

The book portrays the struggle of blacks in America and about the man who fought for the welfare of blacks. Malcolms's struggle in childhood and the transformation to a great leader is well explained. The only minus is the printing quality and the small letters.

A sheer pleasure. Great read

I had purchased the book when i found it highly recommended by many as one of the bestsellers that should be read by every entrepreneurs. This is the life account of a non-conformist and fiery black leader who took a non-compromising stand against racial discrimination faced by black people in America.The story gives a glimpse of what the life was like for black people during first 50 years of 20th century in USA. At a very young age Malcom was exposed to racial discriminations prevalent in society at that point of time and he soaked in all of them with a mind that was mature beyond his physical age. Isn't it wonderful that even at such a tender age he was alert to subtle prejudices that were present even in black people. Like, he mentions that he was loved more because somehow he was born with lighter skin than his sibling.His life as young boy was worsened by sudden demise of his father. Reading through the chapter it can be made out that probably his death was a result of racial conflict. The social and government interference at the time was not welcome by his mother. The purported assistance provided by the government agencies and unrequited affair of his mother destroyed the last support system that the family was relying on. As teenager Malcom moved to many cities and sought refuge in love of his half sister, drugs, and girls and had his share of encounters with drug peddlers, prostitutes pimps and police. He even made a short-lived career for himself as drug hustler that eventually landed him in jail.It is here in jail that Malcom displays admirable strength of character and discipline. He picks up the habit of reading and become a voracious reader. He deliberately trains his mind to read and write effectively. In confines of the cell, he showcases his adaptability and innovates so that he can read more and more. This is the most inspirational and exciting part of the book. Despite all odds stacked against him, he turns jail into a university for himself that would eventually graduate him into Malcom X that the world would later admire.After his tenure in jail he joins a movement called Nation of Islam that was headed by Elijah Muhammad. Malcom X officially embraces Islam and most of his philosophy and narratives hereafter is built around his religion that he considers being panacea for all the suffering of black people. To him Islam had all the spiritual answers needed for liberation of black people. His obsessive affair with Islam and single-minded focus on its propagation throughout America makes him extremely so much popular with the organization that he was perceived as potential threat to the supreme leader that he idolized.I like and admire him for his resolve, dedication and focus but I could see a paradoxical approach in his ideology though. For example, he blames that all whites have stereotyped black people and suffer from extreme racial prejudices that manifests as hatred and violence but at the same time he declares that black people should not trust ANY white, as all white people are evil. He goes on to claim that White has evolved from Black people but genetically it is impossible that black people could evolve from White. Since black people precede white ones on planet, former are inherently superior and should act like one. The current inferiority prevalent is a consequence of systematic brainwash sponsored by church on behalf of white people. This assumption itself encourages superiority of one race over other.His action appears to be driven more by sentiments and faith than logic and rationale. To him Islam is the ultimate religion and Quran is the voice of Allah and hence cannot be challenged. For him Elijah Muhammad, the head of Nation of Islam, was next only to Prophet. He idolized as omniscient and omnipotent and someone who could do no wrong. Such myopic view was doomed to perish.His blind faith in Nation of Islam as a movement, its head Elijah Mohammad and his extreme desire to propagate Islam as binding force for the ultimate brotherhood that would transcend boundaries it too naive and simplified. After he broke or rather was forced to broke his ties with Nation of Islam he visited African and middles east nations. His trip and interaction with people around the world reshaped his mindset. He becomes more inclusive and collaborative. He remained cynical about white people but with significantly reduced intensity.He could not survive for long after he was suspended from Nation of Islam and was assassinated before he was even 40. His militant approach, his fiery oratory, his clarity of purpose and dedication made him extremely popular and earned him huge number of followers. Given his approach towards life it was imminent to have a violent end.My final take: the book is very good if I could do away with overdose of religious content.

poor quality

Mr. Malcolm X was one of the important people in the black history. He was fighting for the black man's right along with MLKing Jr. Though he never believed in his way of gaining freedom from the whites, I believe every non white people should read this book, I guess this is even influencing non white pople like us, we have to know our real history, it is sad that much of these poor black mens history was erased by dirty evil white men. Even indian history was rewritten, NEVER READ ANY HISTORICAL BOOKS BY WHITE MEN simply because he would have re-ordered it. He creating the history for his own purpose. Mr. Malcolm X was able to see through the mirrors. I don't agree to everything he says in this, but I understand where it has come from for this great man, even though he wasted his youth with dope and prostitutes, he came to be one of the greatest men, lover of jazz music and disciple of ALLAH, malcom X will change the way you think for sure.As far as language in this book is concerned, anyone can read it, it is plain simple , I think Mr. Alex Haley wrote this in way because he also wanted to target poor black folks who could barely read back then, anyway overall, You can never put this book down.RIP Brother Malcolm X. Live peacefully in heaven.

Encouraging and true image is presented upfront. An autobiography in which you will get everything crime, love, people and politics with the great American issue of racism. It contents power packed lines which motivates people while reading. Writer has crafted autobiography so well that it unveils layers by layers the problem of racism and reach to its roots. Malcom X still stands as an example for many to fight against racism and also he inspire people who are fighting against casteism in India.Book quality and Delivery was great by Amazon.Thanks Amazon.

At this price range the quality of the book is pretty good and iam impressed with the product & with delivery services. ~ Krish Goss :)

I recently bought a copy of this book for my 19-year-old grandson who has become interested in the BLM movement. I read it at his age 55 years ago and was moved by Malcolm X's candour, humility and passion to change himself and thus society. I was having a gap year abroad in Israel when I saw the news of his assassination on the front page of an English-speaking newspaper in Tel Aviv. I felt instantly stricken by a sadness I could not have anticipated; it was as if I had lost a personal friend.

I would say don't read the introduction first, because the funeral is in it, you need to get to know what a truly wonderful man malcolm X turned out to be, before you read about the funeral, where you will no doubt shed a tear. I am now checking Malcolm on you tube, What a brilliant and calm man talks nothing but sense. He could have been mayor of New York and President, unfortunately America is so warped and the populace so controlled. I wish he could have left NY and stepped back for a while. They say the truth shall set you free, the truth got Malcolm X free from the hypocrisy of the nation of Islam, SPEAKING that truth is what got him killed.This book is brilliant, a must read.

A fascinating story and a valuable account of an important 20th century figure. It shows us a driven, disturbed, dynamic young man of tremendous intelligence and resilience which left me wondering what might have been if he had not been murdered before he reached the peak of his powers.His journey from a (relatively) happy childhood through turbulent adolescence into a man of history is compelling. We learn of the terrible traumas that shaped his life including the break-up of his family following the racist murder of his father and the subsequent (state induced) breakdown of his mother and the belittling career advice he received at school. We follow him through his teen years as a fast living zoot suited novice gangster with his hair suitably “conked” that leads inevitability to jail where he encounters Elijah Muhammad and converts to Islam.His journey in Islam is fascinating; first he is obsessed with Elijah Mohammed’s teachings which he sees as capturing the struggle of the black man in white supremacist 1950s America then, as his relationship with Elijah deteriorates, he has a further development in his thinking while on the Hajj to Mecca where he experiences people sharing a common cause (Islam) regardless of the colour of the skin.It’s a shame the book is not particularly well written. I think Haley let down Malcolm X by not using his skills as an author (evident, of course, in Roots) to provide better focus to what Malcolm X is looking to say. What we get instead, particularly in the polemic sections of the book that dominate the second part of the autobiography, is writing that comes across as streams of consciousness. As such it is, at times, repetitive, lacking in clarity and somewhat stodgy to read. You can imagine Malcolm X, in his interviews with Hayley that form the basis of this book, letting rip. That, of itself, is interesting. But it doesn’t make the best reading!Overall though, I’d put this in the a list of “must read” books for its insight into an important (and fascinating) person at a pivotal time in 20th century American history.

This guy was one of a kind! In my honest opinion, every being who has an African heritage (take note of the use of words, I didn't say black, because as far as I know, I haven't seen a black person before neither have I set eyes on any white folk in my entire existence. According to Majek Fashek, a popular Nigerian reggae musician: '...only the angels of God are white') in them should endeavour to read this book. It is as simple as that.I knew little or nothing about this great and exceptional being before I read his autobiography. The little I knew about him was that he was very “controversial”. Then again, an Irish colleague of mine once told me a couple of years ago that I looked like Malcom X in my glasses. In order not to appear naive, I just laughed, and then made it a point of duty to research on the man - Malcom X. I tell you what, I’m glad I did and now know the “TRUTH”.The word “controversial” has always been used to describe individuals who do not conform to certain “standards”. But I always say this, so long what anyone does is within the ambits of the law, who cares? For me he wasn’t controversial, but just honest about his opinion. He voiced out what most people at the time and even now couldn’t and wouldn’t dare to say just to appear as being politically correct. I say this with every sense of responsibility: one of the greatest crime any individual could commit against themselves is self-deceit.As a Christian first and foremost and a practicing Catholic, I kind of slightly differ on one particular issue he harped on in this book, which has to do with Christianity. Then again, you could argue that his views were influenced by the actions and deeds of those who practised the Christian faith.Who knows what this guy could have achieved if only those threatened by his popularity and wisdom didn't cut short his life? But, I guess even though they get to spend a million years on planet earth, they will never and can never be as great as Malcom X. For you can only kill a person but not the words of his mouth nor his deeds. Which then leads me to ask the pertinent question, why don’t great men last? You talk about the likes of Robert Nesta Marley, Martin Luther King, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, and the list goes on and on.Just like many other great men who did suffer similar fate as him, his deeds, actions and words continue to loom larger and appear more relevant even to this day! He was indeed an embodiment of wisdom, tenacity, determination and conviction! Malcom X has left an indelible mark in the hearts and conscience of so many people – living and dead, his foes and friends, and people of all racial inclinations.

The BEST book I have EVER read. Contrary to other reviewers, I wholeheartedly LOVED this book. It’s a fantastic read - an amazing eye opener to the experiences of black people in general during Malcolm X’s lifetime. It’s incredibly interesting to read the differences and also prevalent similarities regarding how black people were treated by society. Malcom X is a huge inspiration who is especially underrated in terms of black history. He was a legendary and humble man who really turned his life around. If you’re reading this review- PLEASE BUY THE BOOK!!