Autobiography of Malcolm X Alex Haley,
Publisher: Ballantine Books (Mm)
ISBN: 0345915038
DDC: 920
Edition: Paperback; 1999-01
Summary:
Malcolm X's searing memoir belongs on the small shelf of great
autobiographies. The reasons are many: the blistering honesty with
which he recounts his transformation from a bitter, self-destructive
petty criminal into an articulate political activist, the continued
relevance of his militant analysis of white racism, and his emphasis
on self-respect and self-help for African Americans. And there's the
vividness with which he depicts black popular culture--try as he
might to criticize those lindy hops at Boston's Roseland dance hall
from the perspective of his Muslim faith, he can't help but make them
sound pretty wonderful. These are but a few examples. The
Autobiography of Malcolm X limns an archetypal journey from ignorance
and despair to knowledge and spiritual awakening. When Malcolm tells
coauthor Alex Haley, "People don't realize how a man's whole life can
be changed by one book," he voices the central belief underpinning
every attempt to set down a personal story as an example for others.
Although many believe his ethic was directly opposed to Martin Luther
King Jr.'s during the civil rights struggle of the '60s, the two were
not so different. Malcolm may have displayed a most un-Christian
distaste for loving his enemies, but he understood with King that
love of God and love of self are the necessary first steps on the
road to freedom. --Wendy Smith
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