the autobiography of malcolm x book review

The book begins with a lengthy foreword from writer Haley, describing the process of making the book over the course of years. It has also become integral in understanding the attitudes and issues of the civil rights movement of the 1960s and has become a key tool for understanding racial tensions and issues that are still omnipresent in the society of today.

X would never have seen the book in its final form as it was completed shortly after his death, but this book has become a classic of non-fiction, a stepping stone to gaining an insight into the mind of the great man himself. However, before his death, he compiled years worth of interviews with writer Alex Haley for this book. But his assassination in 1965 limited the full potential of a man who had already achieved so much. He has been presented as a man who frankly believed in violence and militancy, but this is wrong X believed in self-defense against the white brutality that was oppressing the people he loved. Unfortunately, a misconstrued image of this man of defiance has frequently been created and reinforced by various different media outlets, from the time he was alive to long after his death. Malcolm X has always been a historical figure that contributed massively to societal change, yet the people who are affected by these changes are unaware of what the man really believed in, and what he really lived for: equality and humanity for African-Americans. The 19 th of May 2015 would have been the 90 th birthday of Malcolm X, had he not been assassinated in 1965. I’m for justice, no matter who it’s for or against.” – Malcolm X

The autobiography of malcolm x book review