Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley, Malcolm X

16 reviews

raccoongremlin's review against another edition

challenging informative medium-paced

2.5

I found this book a really difficult read. Before reading I was really inspired by Malcolm X, as I knew of him as a really important person in the black liberation movement , and he still is to an extent. But for me I found his blatent Anti-Semitism overpowering. For me X's hatred of Jewish people can't just be put down to ignorence, he talks about world 'Jewry' and even believes in the elders of zion protocol. For me that coupled with X's mysogny really put me off the him entirely. 

He was a really interesting person and it was inpsireing to see how his views changed and evolved. He also constantly bashes MLK and non-violence which is interesting and also pretty sad. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction and Antisemitism

Moderate: Confinement and Misogyny

Minor: Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Death of parent, and Lesbophobia

applesaucecreachur's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

4.75

If there was ever an electric revolutionary, it was Malcolm X. In this autobiography, he and Alex Haley have compiled his life into a riveting story. Having grown from a wounded and mischievous young boy to a prolific hustler (and lindy-hopper), to a scholar in lockup, to one of the most skilled orators and well-known revolutionaries of his time, Malcolm was no stranger to transformation. Through the foreword by his daughter Attallah, the Epilogue by Alex Hayley, and a gripping note by Ossie Davis, his story continues beyond 1965 and the Audubon Ballroom. The reader gets to glimpse not only how Malcolm's legacy began to unfold in the months following his death, but also how the man was behind the scenes with those who knew him personally. 

Similar to my review of Revolutionary Suicide, I cannot give this autobiography a full five stars for its omission of Black women as co-victims of racism and equally vital conspirators in Black liberation. Of course, Malcolm was a product both of his time and his Muslim faith, the latter of which I particularly cannot speak to. And despite his sometimes-derogatory references to women as a group, he held individual women in high regard – namely his mother, his half-sister Ella, and his wife, Betty Shabazz. I know from other accounts, too, that his view of gender was undergoing its own transformation towards the end of his life. It's a shame that this was not more prominent in his autobiography. 

Malcolm X was as complex as he was (and still is) misunderstood. In the wake of what would have been his 99th birthday, and the wake of Betty's 90th or 88th, I have to wonder what these two and their loved ones would make of the world they've left to us. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, and Death of parent

Minor: Confinement

bambicat234's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

I can not recommend this book enough. Everyone should read it. It's unique in being told from two perspectives: the perspective of the man himself and the perspectives of the men who got to know him well. You can personally observe his moral, religious, and political transformations throughout his life and especially at the end of it. 
Everything he says here is relevant today in some way or another. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Mental illness, Racism, and Antisemitism

musicthatis's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Violence

Moderate: Addiction

sagelikesscats's review against another edition

challenging informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

What a easy 5 stars. Informative, relevant, and inspiring. Read this book!!! This book will teach you about racism, classism, radical organizing, and a little bit about Islam. This book has its flaws and Malcom X was pretty misogynistic and antisemitic but still a must for all those who want to learn about racism and activism.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Cursing, Drug use, Hate crime, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, and Classism

Moderate: Gun violence, Police brutality, and Antisemitism

Minor: Mental illness, Terminal illness, Grief, and Lesbophobia

fjordpingvin's review against another edition

challenging dark informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Antisemitism, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Hate crime, and Slavery

Minor: Mental illness, Police brutality, and Pregnancy

lauren_shilling's review against another edition

dark informative reflective tense fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, and Alcohol

Moderate: Hate crime and Misogyny

asen123's review against another edition

I might finish it when I’m a bit older. I really wanted to like it, but it was too intense for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, and Classism

aia_r's review against another edition

informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

The Autobiography of Malcolm X, one of the most important books of the twentieth century, is a classic autobiography that tells the story of the Muslim leader Malcolm X. We learn about his early years as a boy in Michigan, his hustling days in Harlem, getting in prison and discovering the religion of Islam. By far one of the most informative, interesting books I have ever read. Such a great book for anyone wanting to understand the Afro-American struggle and is essential for anyone wanting to understand America. 
   Malcolm X's captivating perspective of the lies and limitations of the so-called "American Dream" and the racism in a society that denies its non-white citizens to dream gives a unique insight into the most pressing issues today. 

"But it is only after the deepest darkness that joy can come; it is only after slavery and prison that the sweetest appreciation of freedom can come."

  What I liked the most about this autobiography are its honesty, its exalted purpose and its passion. This will have a permanent place in the literature of the African-American struggle. What saddens me is that Malcolm was seen as a violent, anti-white, dangerous man filled with hate when he was only speaking the truth while being the wisest, intelligent, honest, gentle, peaceful activist that wanted freedom and basic human rights for the then 22 million black citizens in the United States that had been under slavery for four hundred years. 

 At the end of the book, Malcolm says;

"I know that societies often have killed the people who have helped to change those societies. And if I can die having brought any light, having exposed any meaningful truth that will help to destroy the racist cancer that is malignant in the body of America, then all of the credit is due to Allah. Only the mistakes have been mine." 

This alone demonstrates what a wise, sincere and humble person Malcolm was whose life ended way too soon. Shame on those who spread false accusations against this man and tried to ruin his image. May he rest in peace.

june 1st 2023

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, Racial slurs, Racism, and Alcohol

Moderate: Slavery, Police brutality, and Death of parent

Minor: Hate crime and Violence

akvolcano's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

I have never known much about Malcom X. Everything that was spoken about him was brief and told from a white person who painted him as a villain, not as a human. I loved being able to read about him from his own words. I’ve learned about his life, work, and legacy. He did so much for Black people. And It is so important for his story to be told, for this book to be read. Read the whole book-cover to cover. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Cultural appropriation, and Colonisation

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Misogyny, Slavery, Vomit, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Classism