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A review by jbxdavis
The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X, Alex Haley
5.0
After reading authors like Ta-Nehisi Coates and Isabel Wilkerson, I felt compelled to learn more about the man who had been referred to, in theirs texts and others, with a sort of cautious reverence. This autobiography, dictated to Alex Haley in a manner than makes it even more poignant given its timing in relation to Malcolm's death, is the saga of a man evolving in real time. It is immensely entertaining, and enormously important as it demystifies one of the most misunderstood public figures in American History.
Malcolm is unabashedly the product of his environment, and as that environment changes, so too do his opinions and his philosophies. Malcolm chooses deliberately to recount stories in as if he still held the viewpoints of his past self -- it can be confusing to hear the notoriously ascetic Muslim recounting drug-addled nights of his youth. This effect pays off enormously especially in the later chapters of the book, where Malcolm's thinking matures and he reflects on his past views.
It's the story of an individual's evolution. It's an inspiring memoir of self-reform. And it's a brutal, heartbreaking example of how systemic injustice can rob the world of a human's full potential.
Malcolm is unabashedly the product of his environment, and as that environment changes, so too do his opinions and his philosophies. Malcolm chooses deliberately to recount stories in as if he still held the viewpoints of his past self -- it can be confusing to hear the notoriously ascetic Muslim recounting drug-addled nights of his youth. This effect pays off enormously especially in the later chapters of the book, where Malcolm's thinking matures and he reflects on his past views.
It's the story of an individual's evolution. It's an inspiring memoir of self-reform. And it's a brutal, heartbreaking example of how systemic injustice can rob the world of a human's full potential.