NF

[audiobook read by Laurence Fishburne]

I feel it’s inappropriate to “review” such a influential book so here are just a few scattered thoughts

Not sure how much of this was his doing, but props on Alex Haley for helping to shape Mr. X’s life into the narrative in this book. This is something of an ideological thriller, as we are right there with the man himself as he twists and turns through the various stages of his life and thinking. X and Haley never take the easy way out of revealing the final iteration of X’s beliefs, even if that forces the reader (at least the white reader) to sit with the harsh truths about the brutality of the white man in the middle of the book.

Of course the main tragedy of Mr. X’s life was his untimely murder, a murder which he eerily predicts several times throughout the book; but the secondary tragedy is that we are dealing with a man of incredible intellect, psychological toughness, and voracious curiosity that was severely limited by the racist society he ended up being a major instigator against. Malcolm X had a great impact on this world that’s for sure, but I often wondered what would his legacy be if he had had a access to the educational and societal opportunities not afforded to black people at the time. He himself wonders about this at the end of the book.

Of course not everything in this book aged well, but I think it still has a lot to say about the efficacy of agitation vs incrementalism. If X was anything he was realist, someone who decried what he saw as hypocrisy or a fear of telling things as they were, characteristics which are still highly relevant in the political climate of 2021.

I have to amend my previous 5 star rating to account for the recent case of fraud discovered in an interview conducted by Haley of MLK on the subject of Malcolm X. His liberties taken to misrepresent King’s opinions lead me to believe he may have taken similar liberties with Malcolm X’s autobiography.

It is still a literary masterpiece of a fascinating man, but it is hard to read it credibly as it was published after Malcolm X’s death, and he would not be able to correct any misrepresentations. ( )

Fascinating. The multiplayer forwards, introductions and afterwards are vital to making this autobiography well-rounded and contextual. A good read for 2020. ( )

I read this the first time at age 14, when I really didn't understand it. Now, 46 years later, I returned to this heroic story and realize that while I couldn't have known it at the time, and hadn't realized it since, the life and thoughts of Malcolm X exercise a profound influence on me, and especially my approach to teaching in inner-city schools.

If you haven't read this, you really must.