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4.47 AVERAGE
4.47 AVERAGE
It’s hard to even encapsulate this book in a review… very immersive into Malcolm’s thinking and world view. The book started off in sort of a rambling manner. I learned so much about Malcolm’s early life and what brought him to be a believer of Islam. I moreso enjoyed the second half of his autobiography that describes his journey with religion as well as Civil Rights. He shaded MLK many, many times and really fleshed out the differences in their thinking and world view. I found Malcolm’s journey to Mecca and how that changed his world view to be incredibly captivating. It’s fascinated me that leaving America highlighted how unique America’s problem of racism really is. I have always deeply respected Malcolm X and this book helped me understand his way of thinking and perspective of the world.
dark
emotional
informative
relaxing
tense
slow-paced
This book should be required reading for anyone interested in being an active force for civil rights.
[ paperback ]
I had ideas of who Malcolm X was, I was so very wrong.
This book was a very tough and essential read.
One thing that stood out to me about this book was how, in each stage of his life, his mind had some very large shifts and that those chapters were told through those different frames of mind. For instance, during his years dancing in Boston, you can feel the excitement in the narration, like he was back in that moment, and, during his years of crime in Harlem, it is easy to sense the anger, confusion and struggle in the words and action. In a way, very subdued, and from an extremely safe distance, I felt some of the opinions and struggles as they were being told.
If anyone finds this book hard to read, I would advise them to take their time and make sure to push through. The power of this book, of Malcolm X, is his complete trajectory, and how Malcolm learned when to dig in and when to bend.
My heart broke for this man, not just his death but his lived experience, for our country, and for how, after so many years, we are still dealing with the same bullshit.
Ultimately I still feel hope, but I can understand why some might not.
I had ideas of who Malcolm X was, I was so very wrong.
This book was a very tough and essential read.
One thing that stood out to me about this book was how, in each stage of his life, his mind had some very large shifts and that those chapters were told through those different frames of mind. For instance, during his years dancing in Boston, you can feel the excitement in the narration, like he was back in that moment, and, during his years of crime in Harlem, it is easy to sense the anger, confusion and struggle in the words and action. In a way, very subdued, and from an extremely safe distance, I felt some of the opinions and struggles as they were being told.
If anyone finds this book hard to read, I would advise them to take their time and make sure to push through. The power of this book, of Malcolm X, is his complete trajectory, and how Malcolm learned when to dig in and when to bend.
My heart broke for this man, not just his death but his lived experience, for our country, and for how, after so many years, we are still dealing with the same bullshit.
Ultimately I still feel hope, but I can understand why some might not.
So good. Everyone should read this, for the storytelling and for a deeper understanding of Malcolm's worldview.
Always an inspiration. A thought provoking must read that is still relevant today.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
I vaguely remember reading about Malcolm X in my U.S history class. I'm pretty sure there was a sentence, or at most, a paragraph dedicated to him. The chapter discussing the Civil Rights Movement mainly focused on Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks and their peaceful boycotts and demonstrations in the South. Though many people would assume that the blacks living in the South faced a greater upheaval against discrimination, the blacks in the so called liberal North also had to go through equally, if not more, harsh tribulations. Oftentimes, the Northern whites put on a fake countenance, urging for integration among white and blacks, whilst internally fearing the possibility of losing their rank of superiority. Malcolm X first acknowledged this harsh truth and later on preached openly against it
During his seven-year jail sentence, he rediscovered the art of reading after dropping out of school at age fourteen.
As he famously quoted, "As I see it today, the ability to read awoke in me some long dormant craving to be mentally alive."
I believe this is one of the most impressive aspects of Malcolm X. He didn't receive any formal education since the eight grade, and yet still was able to reach a status of prominence among America' s most influential leaders.
Even when he was in the Nation of Islam, he boldly preached out that the white men were indeed the devils and that separation from them is the best solution to achieve ultimate salvation. In addition, he strived to uplift the black community and promote black nationalism-by informing them of Africa's rich history and that the white man was genetically conceived from the black man.
However after he formally left the Nation of Islam and traveled abroad to Makkah, he changed his inert thinking and concluded that the complexion of the white man does not necessarily mean he's bad and only condemned their prejudiced actions against Negros. This demonstrates that Malcolm X, towards the end of his life, reformed his belief. Unfortunately, we don't know how far he would have went with his new ideology, but he definitely left a deep mark America's history.
Malcolm X deserves much more recognition than a mere paragraph in a history book. If you ask any America if they know who Martin Luther King is, they'll confidently tell you who he was and what he stood for. Ask them if they know who Malcolm X was, only a handful will recognize his name, let alone identify correctly what he stood for. Malcolm wasn't exclusively for violence-many people may erroneously assume. He was for supporting the African Americans and if it came down to violence, he wasn't afraid to perpetrate it. Alex Haley stated, "He was the only Negro in America who could either start a race riot-or stop one."
Personally, I find it inconceivable that a mere fifty years ago, African-Americans faced a hostility like no other. Now America, like among other countries during the eighteenth century, practiced slavery. Two hundred or three hundred years ago this was considered normal as colonialism was at its peak in history. However, the single most repugnant fact is that the blacks in America, even after they were granted their freedom, still had to endure bigotry. If you look at how the East treated their slaves, compared to the West, you'll find slaves in the East were giving much more respect and status with juxtaposition to the freed blacks in American who were still fighting for their right to live as a citizen!
In all, this book was an exceptional read. High school history classes should definitely assign this as a reading, as it well give a more inclusive understanding of our nation's black history. Americans need to be educated about this inspirational, brutally honest human being who played such a pivotal role in America's long, arduous journey to racial equality!
During his seven-year jail sentence, he rediscovered the art of reading after dropping out of school at age fourteen.
As he famously quoted, "As I see it today, the ability to read awoke in me some long dormant craving to be mentally alive."
I believe this is one of the most impressive aspects of Malcolm X. He didn't receive any formal education since the eight grade, and yet still was able to reach a status of prominence among America' s most influential leaders.
Even when he was in the Nation of Islam, he boldly preached out that the white men were indeed the devils and that separation from them is the best solution to achieve ultimate salvation. In addition, he strived to uplift the black community and promote black nationalism-by informing them of Africa's rich history and that the white man was genetically conceived from the black man.
However after he formally left the Nation of Islam and traveled abroad to Makkah, he changed his inert thinking and concluded that the complexion of the white man does not necessarily mean he's bad and only condemned their prejudiced actions against Negros. This demonstrates that Malcolm X, towards the end of his life, reformed his belief. Unfortunately, we don't know how far he would have went with his new ideology, but he definitely left a deep mark America's history.
Malcolm X deserves much more recognition than a mere paragraph in a history book. If you ask any America if they know who Martin Luther King is, they'll confidently tell you who he was and what he stood for. Ask them if they know who Malcolm X was, only a handful will recognize his name, let alone identify correctly what he stood for. Malcolm wasn't exclusively for violence-many people may erroneously assume. He was for supporting the African Americans and if it came down to violence, he wasn't afraid to perpetrate it. Alex Haley stated, "He was the only Negro in America who could either start a race riot-or stop one."
Personally, I find it inconceivable that a mere fifty years ago, African-Americans faced a hostility like no other. Now America, like among other countries during the eighteenth century, practiced slavery. Two hundred or three hundred years ago this was considered normal as colonialism was at its peak in history. However, the single most repugnant fact is that the blacks in America, even after they were granted their freedom, still had to endure bigotry. If you look at how the East treated their slaves, compared to the West, you'll find slaves in the East were giving much more respect and status with juxtaposition to the freed blacks in American who were still fighting for their right to live as a citizen!
In all, this book was an exceptional read. High school history classes should definitely assign this as a reading, as it well give a more inclusive understanding of our nation's black history. Americans need to be educated about this inspirational, brutally honest human being who played such a pivotal role in America's long, arduous journey to racial equality!
