George Breitman (1916–1986)

By Any Means Necessary is a collection of speeches and interviews given by Malcolm X in the last year of his life. I thought I owed it to myself to read his own words. What's interesting is how graceful and thoughtful he was with his words, how he wanted to make sure that what he said was understood with clarity. These transcripts are proof that Malcolm was thoughtful and always re-examining his positions on the many issues facing African-Americans in the 1960s. I came away wanting to know show more more about him and his evolution as a leader. I also came away wondering what he would think of race relations in America, and the world today. show less

A showcase of Malcolm X's philosophical and political development in the last years of his life. It is a series of speeches. It is clear from reading that during these years he was going through a profound amount of philosophical development and it is a tragedy that he was murdered before we saw everything that he had to give to the world. I will be reading his autobiography next.

Produced in 1967, Breitman highlights the final years in the life of Malcolm X: dealing with his split from the Nation of Islam, his travels abroad, his expanding social and political beliefs, and his challenges in managing (integrating) the Muslim Mosque Inc. and the Organization of Afro-American Unity’s goal of bringing out revolutionary change in the lives of Black people worldwide alongside the conciliatory progressive gradualism of the civil rights leaders and organizations of the day.

How could it be anything other than a five?