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A review by qamelion
The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X, Alex Haley
5.0
What an insightful view into one of the most eccentric personages of the 20th century this book provides. An autobiography that manages to both display Malcolm X’s life in exciting detail of his earlier days in Lansing, Boston and New York City and at the same time builds up a vivid feeling of tension and conflict that cropped up along with his increasing eminence.
While the main focus obviously is on Malcolm X’s life I also very much appreciated the preceding foreword of his oldest daughter Attallah Shabazz as well as the beautifully put together epilogue of the book’s co-author Alex Haley. Especially the latter served as a useful chapter that helped put everything that was told earlier (the injustices Malcolm X faced as well as the ones he was preaching) into an objective perspective. What stood out most to me during this reading process and what actually also surprised me a lot was how easy it is to compare the inequality that was a given and part of every day life almost 60 years ago in society of the USA and how little has changed since then. Social issues like mass incarceration are still a problem today (maybe an even greater one in this day and age). The political situation hasn’t improved much since then as black people and other minorities are still far too insufficiently represented in the government. And maybe the gravest problem of all of these: the drastic change of Islam’s image until today. Back then when Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad were establishing a strong nucleus of the so-called Black Muslims (why this is more of a tautologic expression than a fitting one is explained in the book) both men probably never would have guessed the hatred and racism today’s Muslims have to face each and every day especially in the US.
Keeping all of these mentioned aspects in mind this reading experience was actually a quite sad one. Learning about all the things Malcolm X was fighting for and his hope for improvement in the future while also as a reader being able to compare it to today’s situation made me close the book with a bittersweet feeling. I have now got a far more insightful and elaborated perspective on El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, a man who fought with everything he had for what he believed was right, a man who accepted change of ideology and was able to adjust when he realised he had been wrong and a man who—just like his adversaries often had forgotten—beside all the flashing lights of the press and under his iconic suit was just like everyone one else: a human being.
While the main focus obviously is on Malcolm X’s life I also very much appreciated the preceding foreword of his oldest daughter Attallah Shabazz as well as the beautifully put together epilogue of the book’s co-author Alex Haley. Especially the latter served as a useful chapter that helped put everything that was told earlier (the injustices Malcolm X faced as well as the ones he was preaching) into an objective perspective. What stood out most to me during this reading process and what actually also surprised me a lot was how easy it is to compare the inequality that was a given and part of every day life almost 60 years ago in society of the USA and how little has changed since then. Social issues like mass incarceration are still a problem today (maybe an even greater one in this day and age). The political situation hasn’t improved much since then as black people and other minorities are still far too insufficiently represented in the government. And maybe the gravest problem of all of these: the drastic change of Islam’s image until today. Back then when Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad were establishing a strong nucleus of the so-called Black Muslims (why this is more of a tautologic expression than a fitting one is explained in the book) both men probably never would have guessed the hatred and racism today’s Muslims have to face each and every day especially in the US.
Keeping all of these mentioned aspects in mind this reading experience was actually a quite sad one. Learning about all the things Malcolm X was fighting for and his hope for improvement in the future while also as a reader being able to compare it to today’s situation made me close the book with a bittersweet feeling. I have now got a far more insightful and elaborated perspective on El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, a man who fought with everything he had for what he believed was right, a man who accepted change of ideology and was able to adjust when he realised he had been wrong and a man who—just like his adversaries often had forgotten—beside all the flashing lights of the press and under his iconic suit was just like everyone one else: a human being.