The Autobiography of Malcolm X

This is a masterpiece. It took so long to read because every chapter left so much to digest and grapple with. Malcolm X was a polarizing dynamite. He believed what he believed with his entire being, but was able to be open minded and make real-time changes to his beliefs which he wasn't ashamed to advertise. He didn't have the language we have today of systemic oppression and institutional racism, but he got pretty close to articulating that on his own, albeit not in a way most people were willing to hear then. I was pretty shocked by how misogynistic he was, he even said he's been accused of being anti-women and does nothing to dispel that.
This is certainly a must-read, it's so well written and so important. The first half reminded me show more so much of Harlem Shuffle which I read last year. What a character this man was. show less

This is the most significant book that I have read this year. One could say that it is a disgrace that it has taken me 50 years to get around to so doing, but a decent distance adds to the value of this work.

I cannot agree with Malcolm X's proposed solution to black oppression: segregation and an independent black power base, but I can understand why he should believe this. Indeed, were I to have come from such a downtrodden group, it is entirely plausible that I would have been more aggressive than Malcolm.

I think that, had he lived longer, Malcolm X may well have further revised his beliefs. The idea that all black people are like this, whilst all white people are like that, is obviously nonsense and the idea that racism only exists show more between black and white is just as untrue. Following his trip to the Hajj, he had pulled back on the all whites are evil argument but, this biography gives plenty of reasons as to why he should have originally held that view. One of the things that I found fascinating, and I would love to be able to discuss with 'X', is his attitude to women. It always intrigues me to see how an oppressed group can so clearly see the wrong done to them, but fail to see the error in their view of others. Malcolm X's opinion of women was pretty bad, even allowing for the fact that society in general had a less respectful attitude to the female position in society.

The book is a real eye opener as to how many non-white groups, both within and outside America, look upon the century's master race. The UK, too, is not without guilt in this area and if every white person were to read this, without necessarily agreeing, but at least accepting, that these views represent a sizable body of opinion, we would all be wiser.

Finally, a quote, from the book, which very few will expect to have come from the mouth of Malcolm X:

Men are attracted by spirit. By power, men are forced. Love is engendered by spirit. By power, anxieties are created.

Doesn't sound like the world's most dangerous man, does it? show less

The myth of Malcolm X has always been an enigma. For years, to my mind, Malcolm X was the physical representative of an earlier generation’s righteous indignation—Black rage personified—thus becoming a symbol (a mascot, a pet, a thing) for black supremacy, instead of the complex man who championed human rights for all, but specifically for people of African descent in the United States of America. It’s dangerous and ultimately pointless to reduce someone to a few words, a few digestible bits of information—but this does not prevent me from trying; subversive, idealist-activist, Muslim humanist. His careful critique of his on flaws and weaknesses is a refreshing departure to many hagiographies disguised as biographies floating show more around today. His dealing with the Nation of Islam and Elijah Muhammed is a case study of how quickly an idealist can be transformed into a fanatic and the many ways a cult and its leader gains and maintains control: through sociopathic manipulation of thought. I also wonder what are the origins of his subtle, underlying stream of sexism/misogyny in some of his views—from his own mother, to his older sister, through his intimately involved and platonic relationships with women of a different races in different societies—what was the cause of such mistrust, and I do not think his religious beliefs were the cause of them because he harbored such views before ever encountering the teachings of Elijah Muhammed and Islam. Overall, I think this book and the symbolism of Malcolm X is still pertinent is today’s post-racial delusion. As a man, El Hajj Malik El-Shabazz was thrust into being at the right time—he was not a man ahead of his time—he dealt with life mysteries/miseries accordingly and always kept an open mind even at times when he was not in his right one. show less

A passionate call to a country and a world that conflated and conflates absolution of sins past with a total denial of those selfsame sins and a declarative 'get over it'; Malcolm X's autobiography is a brilliant clarion blast to an entire displaced people to stand up, be proud, and take control of their own political and cultural destiny. Having been raised in a Jewish Nationalist household (with the name Meir Kahane and the JDL as well as Kach party names being thrown around a lot along with the likes of Menachem Begin and Zeev Jabotinksy) I more than sympathized and, yes, empathized with Malcolm X's injunctions to his people to stop with the weakness, stop with the complacency, and to once and for all stop with the contentment with show more scraps from the majority's table. As a 'minority within a minority' myself, more than a little constrained between the diasporic exile and the Jews of Israel, I felt Malcolm X's searching as something akin to what all those 'ousted' (for whatever reason) from the comforts of social and cultural dominance feel, that of feeling unmanned, incomplete, an incomplete adumbration of selfhood that, sadly, can never really be sketched in or developed.

But even though this might be (and is) a cause for sadness, it is also something of an ideological call to arms. We need not simply go with whatever our majorities (cultural or otherwise) say, we need not always take for granted what our (usually self-appointed) betters have to declare. No. If nothing else the Autobiography of Malcolm X is a cannonade and a testament to the power of the individual and his right, nay, his obligation to think for himself.

Malcolm X was not a perfect man. But his message would have been substantially lacking if he was. He was, on a very short list, one of the most human of men and ideologues that ever lived; and it's his humanity that makes his story worth telling and worth knowing. show less

The world is poorer for not having gotten to see where Malcolm X's evolution as an activist and intellectual would have taken him next.

I also think he was definitely still presenting an image in his book, and I would like to find a good biography vs autobiography. Preferably one that does not rely heavily on Alex Haley reporting, given recent revelations that Haley fabricated the Martin Luther King Jr quote calling Malcolm X "fiery" and "demagogic." Given that the Autobiography of Malcolm X was published posthumously, can we be sure Malcolm X really did approve what was written?

Most people have probably seen the film made from this source material, but there's a lot more to X and his story than what a film can contain. This memoir covers Malcolm's young life, and particularly how his family life shaped his views on the world. Indeed, the first line of the book details the arrival of the KKK to his family's house while his mother was pregnant with him.

One of the things not well documented in the film is Malcolm's education and intelligence. The film makes it appear he learned everything during his prison stint, but he was a gifted student before he fell into hustling. But the hustling did lead to prison, and his conversion to The Nation of Islam, a particularly virulent and reportedly racist version of the show more Islamic faith as set out by a huckster turned prophet. The cult-like origin story of that religion stretches the imagination to breaking.

The film, while detailing the break with the religion, doesn't do enough to highlight Malcolm's pilgrimage and how it again altered his perspective - altered it to be imminently more inclusive and far-seeing.

One caveat, Malcolm's idea of gender politics and women in general is bad and never improves much - so fair warning. Always a surprise to me that people who fight oppression have a blind spot for the oppression of women.

5 bones!!!!!
Highly Recommended!!!!! show less

This is, in my opinion, a must read for anyone who is trying to understand the historical roots of today's racism/anti-racism movement. Understanding where we came from (and how much further we have to go) is so crucial to formulating solutions, and I love that this book tells that story in one man's words. That said, I had to knock a star off for the blatant misogyny throughout the book. It was eye opening that a man who had such a clear eyed understanding of the impacts of racism and bigotry on his life was so blind to the ways sexism might be hitting his Black sisters.