evanmc's review against another edition
4.0
Fascinating, illuminating and thought provoking. Especially given current events, understanding the context of Malcom's life was very effecting. At some points the writing was a little confusing - with sections not always following chronologically how I would have expected, and names of ancillary figures coming at the reader like a flood. Very minor complaint in the grand scheme of things.
pppaigeee's review against another edition
4.0
So so well done, extremely thorough and interesting and dense while still being engaging. It took me 12 million years to get through, but it was worth it.
I do really wish I had started with The Autobiography of Malcolm X before reading this, because a lot of this book, especially at the beginning, discusses the Autobiography and especially places where it embellishes or deviates from the truth. If you’re diving in and considering reading both, read that one before opening this.
I do really wish I had started with The Autobiography of Malcolm X before reading this, because a lot of this book, especially at the beginning, discusses the Autobiography and especially places where it embellishes or deviates from the truth. If you’re diving in and considering reading both, read that one before opening this.
rangerpanties's review against another edition
5.0
This was a really helpful book. Shows how people can reinvent themselves througout their lives. Shows how scary and crazy the Nation of Islam is. When you stop questioning you begin starving.
teriboop's review against another edition
4.0
Before reading this book, I knew little about Malcolm X. I knew he was a civil rights activist in the 60s, promoted a more "violent"(or less peaceful) approach, and was assassinated. I had not read his autobiography, nor had I watched the Spike Lee film on his life. Marable uses oral histories, FBI files, and many other resources to follow the account of Malcolm's life from his family history until his death. Marable's theme was one of Malcolm reinventing his life after different phases in his life, from life on the streets, through his tenure with the Nation of Islam, his trip to mecca, and his assassination.
What I learned was that Malcolm X was a very learned and charismatic man. He was bold and at times shocking, but he wanted to learn and be a spokesman for the Afro-American common man of the 60s. He may have advocated violence or the use of force "if needed", he never used it himself, and after his trips to Africa and Egypt, he immersed himself in orthodox Islam and started on a course of a more peaceful means of civil rights. It is, of course, unknown if he would have continued along that path had he not been killed given the tension of the times, but I would have like to think that he might have. He was a controversial figure and still is, but he was a very smart and engaging person whose ideas on civil rights still resonate today.
What I learned was that Malcolm X was a very learned and charismatic man. He was bold and at times shocking, but he wanted to learn and be a spokesman for the Afro-American common man of the 60s. He may have advocated violence or the use of force "if needed", he never used it himself, and after his trips to Africa and Egypt, he immersed himself in orthodox Islam and started on a course of a more peaceful means of civil rights. It is, of course, unknown if he would have continued along that path had he not been killed given the tension of the times, but I would have like to think that he might have. He was a controversial figure and still is, but he was a very smart and engaging person whose ideas on civil rights still resonate today.
siria's review against another edition
5.0
This is an absorbing and meticulously detailed biography of Malcolm X. It isn't definitive, as Marable readily admits, largely because how much FBI documentation on Malcolm's life remains classified. It's still an impressively thorough biography; while I haven't read the Autobiography, it's clear that Marable is attempting to write a counterpoint to that work which strips away much of the hagiographical mystique that has come to surround Malcolm in the years since his murder. Marable follows Malcolm through his life's numerous "reinventions": from the young Malcolm Little of Omaha, Nebraska, to zoot-suited petty criminal to divisive, conservative black nationalist to orthodox Muslim campaigner for human rights. The man Marable writes about is a profoundly flawed individual who was nonetheless brilliant and committed to his work, a polished rhetorician, who was clearly killed just at the moment when he was about to reinvent himself again. Definitely recommended.
vladthescholar's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't know anything about Malcolm X going into this book so it was really to discover his story. I particularly enjoy this biography because of the extra information from FBI files and other source that were mentioned in this book. Really enjoy it!