The Autobiography of Malcolm X

Oct 28, 2013 Rowena rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, afrocentric, non-fiction, banned-book-challenges

“I’ve had enough of someone else’s propaganda. I’m for truth, no matter who tells it. I’m for justice, no matter who it is for or against. I’m a human being first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” - Malcolm X

In High School my history syllabus covered just a few pages on African-American civil rights heroes. The majority of those pages were on Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X was barely mentioned. After reading this book I was “I’ve had enough of someone else’s propaganda. I’m for truth, no matter who tells it. I’m for justice, no matter who it is for or against. I’m a human being first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” - Malcolm X

In High School my history syllabus covered just a few pages on African-American civil rights heroes. The majority of those pages were on Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X was barely mentioned. After reading this book I was perplexed! I wonder why Malcolm X hasn't been given the same respect as Dr. King; he contributed so much to the civil rights movement as well, yet my knowledge on this man was very minimal.

How did Malcolm Little become Malcolm X aka El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz? This is what this book is all about. His transformation was remarkable especially as he spent time in foster homes and was a hustler in Detroit. He lived in an America where smart black kids were discouraged from being lawyers etc, and thus dropped out of school at young ages. It made me think for the umpteenth time just how can society malign and vilify black people, especially black men, when society itself is responsible for restricting them in the first place?

Among the many things I admired about Malcolm X was his thirst for knowledge. He is a great advertisement for autodidactism and how effective and transformative self-education can be:

“I have often reflected upon the new vistas that reading opened to me. I knew right there, in prison, that reading had changed forever the course of my life. As I see it today, the ability to read awoke inside me some long dormant craving to be mentally alive.”

It was hard for me to read this book and not compare Malcolm X’s philosophy to Dr. King’s. I always thought I would adhere more closely to Dr. King’s peaceful, nonviolence philosophy, but after reading this book I do agree with Malcolm X’s ideology as well. Not that I am advocating violence, but radicalness and action is sometimes needed, as are anger and indignation. As Malcolm X said, ““So early in life, I learned that if you want something, you had better make some noise.” I feel there is so much to learn from both men so I won’t say I prefer one doctrine over another. At the same time I wonder, how can people not become militant and revolutionary after having experienced so much cruelty and discrimination?

Another thing I found interesting in this autobiography was Malcolm X’s religious transformation; from having been raised Christian, to entering the Nation of Islam (NOI), he finally found his spiritual home in “mainstream” Islam. His depiction of his trip to Mecca in particular was very enlightening and a turning point in his life. His adoration of Elijah Muhammad, the founder of the NOI, was quite sad, especially as Muhammad seems to have been a bit of a weirdo. Muhammad said something along the lines of too-short women marrying tall men and vice versa is ridiculous. Also, he said that a man should ideally marry a woman half his age plus 7 years.

Malcolm is unapologetic about his views in this book and that's what I love best about this autobiography. His writing is very candid and so informative. This is an important book for all to read. The prevalence of eurocentrism in the world is astounding and I don’t think we really realize just how established it is. Malcolm X dissected the race problem so well, I felt inspired.
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Mar 27, 2008 Isaac rated it it was amazing

This book counts for a lot. Cornel West says that one of the deepest fears for black America is that Malcolm X was fundamentally right, that the political system here is incapable of being changed through traditional means in order to serve the black community what they are due. "What are they due?" asks the conservative... A share in the incredible wealth of the country that they have labored to build for hundreds of years, often against their own will, answers the REALIST... self-actualization ...more

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Dec 31, 2016 حسام عادل rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: الروائع

عاهدتُ الله ألا أنسى أن الإسلام هو الذي أعطاني الأجنحة التى أحلِّق بها اليوم،ولم أنس ذلك أبدًا..لم أنسه لحظة واحدة.
مالكوم إكس

حاولتُ أن أكتب عنه فلم أعرف..
فقط شهدتُ بعيني كيف يرفع الإسلام بهَديْهِ المرء من أسفل سافلين إلى إنسانٍ تتفتح أمام وجهه الآفاق,وتجوب شهرته البلدان,ويضع الله له القبول والحب في الأرض..
كيف يعيش رجل،لم يترك كبيرة ولا صغيرة من الذنب إلا وارتكبها،مناضلًا لأجل الإسلام..ثم يموت شهيدًا وهو يدافع عنه ويدعو الناس إليه في النهاية!
رأيتُ كيف يعز الله بالإسلام..ولكننا نرتضي العزة فيما ...more

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Dec 16, 2007 Wes Morgan rated it really liked it

This is the life story of Malcolm Little, later Malcolm X, later El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. As are most white people in this country, I was led to believe that Malcolm X was just an angry, militant racist who wanted to kill white people in the same way that angry, militant racists in the South want to kill black people. Nothing could be further from the truth.

This book, more than any other I've read, opened my eyes to see how the innate racism in our country works and affects the people it is mos This is the life story of Malcolm Little, later Malcolm X, later El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. As are most white people in this country, I was led to believe that Malcolm X was just an angry, militant racist who wanted to kill white people in the same way that angry, militant racists in the South want to kill black people. Nothing could be further from the truth.

This book, more than any other I've read, opened my eyes to see how the innate racism in our country works and affects the people it is most sharply targeted at: African Americans. It's one thing to understand that it exists (amazing that this is still debated) and empathize with its victims, but quite another to see it through their eyes. Malcolm X, as he points out, grew up in the "tolerant" North. His battle was not with lynch mobs and Jim Crow laws, but with the death-by-a-thousand-cuts brand of racism that, I would argue, now constitutes the mainstream dynamic between blacks and whites in this country.

By the time he becomes a Muslim in prison, it's easy to see why he was angry (which he was) and why he fought back. The amazing thing, though, is that while the very book was being written, Malcolm X is undergoing a personal transformation that is leading him away from anger and hatred towards white people and towards a realization that it is the culture in America, and not inherent evil in white people, that creates the racism he's fighting against. This transformation costs him 12 years of his life's work, his house, his family's safety, and eventually his life.

There are aspects of Malcolm X's philosophy that I cannot empathize with, however. His view of women, in particular, represents an ironic denial of their humanity. You almost want to scream at the pages, "How can you not see that you're viewing women the same way white people view you!?" There are also some pretty strange religious ideas held by the Black Muslims in general (such as literally believing that white people are the devil, and we know it), but Malcolm ends up moving away from these by the end of his life in favor of more orthodox Islam as practiced by the majority of the world's Muslims.

I now believe, after having read this autobiography, that had he lived longer, Malcolm X would today be as revered as Martin Luther King, Jr. is. Ozzie Davis, Malcolm X's eulogist, said that he sometimes needed reminding that he was a man (something he suspected white people didn't need), and that Malcolm X did that for him, and for many other black people as well.

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Dec 24, 2014 ❁ بــدريــه ❁ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, سير-ذاتية, نسخ-إلكترونية

" لم أكن لأكتب مذكراتي إلا لأخبر الناس إني
كنت في أسفل سافلين، وفي قاع المجتمع إلى
أن اهتديت إلى الله والإسلام ، فتغيّر مجرى حياتي"

٭ مذكرات مالكوم إكس، لم يكتبها بنفسه ، بل
أملاها على المؤلف الشهير أليكس هايلي .
حوت على العديد من مآسيه مع التمييز
العنصري و التحولات في حياته .

يقول مالكوم إكس : " اﻹسلام هو الذي أعطاني
اﻷجنحة التي أحلق بها "

شخصية ملهمة و مناضلة .. السيرة التي كانت
مرهقة بالنسبة لي و أخذت وقت طويل مني لإنهائها
إلا أنني إستمتعتُ بقراءتها وتأثرت بها ..

مالكوم المناضل ضد العبودية و العن ...more

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Jul 01, 2016 Carol. rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: people who think

Shelves: auto-biography, non-fiction, male-lead, multi-culti, brain-food

“I’ve had enough of someone else’s propaganda,” I had written to these friends. “I’m for truth, no matter who tells it. I’m for justice, the matter who it is for or against. I’m a human being first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.”

Undoubtedly one of the most filling books I’ve read all year.

It starts simply, with solid, familiar flavors, something like a brandy old-fashioned complete with fruit decorations, and a little bowl of candied pecans. ...more

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Dec 17, 2015 Aubrey rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 5-star, reviewed, non-fiction, authorness, person-of-everything, r-2014, r-goodreads, antidote-think-twice-read, antidote-think-twice-all

“If Malcolm X were not a Negro, his autobiography would be little more than a journal of abnormal psychology, the story of a burglar, dope pusher, addict and jailbird—with a family history of insanity—who acquires messianic delusions and sets forth to preach an upside-down religion of ‘brotherly’ hatred.”

-Saturday Evening Post, Sept. 12, 1965

Sensationalist, yes? Reminiscent of certain responses to Twelve Years a Slave winning multiple Academy Awards at this year's Oscars, and this is nearly fi

“If Malcolm X were not a Negro, his autobiography would be little more than a journal of abnormal psychology, the story of a burglar, dope pusher, addict and jailbird—with a family history of insanity—who acquires messianic delusions and sets forth to preach an upside-down religion of ‘brotherly’ hatred.”

-Saturday Evening Post, Sept. 12, 1965

Sensationalist, yes? Reminiscent of certain responses to Twelve Years a Slave winning multiple Academy Awards at this year's Oscars, and this is nearly fifty years on. Within these pages, Malcolm X spoke of a hope that by the year 2000, the white-washing of Jesus and other Biblical figures would be ended, and the true unresolved question of their physical aspects would be reflected by portrayals ranging all across the spectrum. In the year 2014, certain groups had conniptions over suggestions that Santa Clause could be black. The world goes on, and popular thought appropriates.

What is especially telling about that editorial first sentence up there is the overt interplay between prose and reader perception. This is important to consider when imbibing any text, but here, in context with racism, in context with classism, in context with the institutional ideologies' demand that all resistance be nonviolent while weighing it down with "sign of the times" murder, rampant lynching then and shotgunning teenagers now for reasons of "too loud music", in context with the autobiography of Malcolm X, ask yourself if a criminal record puts you off reading about a person, and then ask yourself why.

Ask yourself what constitutes the "abnormal psychology", the "messianic delusions", the "upside-down religion of 'brotherly hatred'", the CEO, the politician, any belief that preaches intolerance for the non-believer. Ask yourself what half-hearted bullshit constitutes "If Malcolm X were not a Negro", passing off the enormous debt the US has to its history of slavery as an embarrassing pathos, a ploy, an "Oh, they kicked the puppy and now it's telling its story, of course it'll get attention." Ask yourself what your memories of this monumental figure in history are, the first time you heard his name, whether you wondered at his story, his X, or condemned him from the start.

My beginning was a mention of a footnote of violence in a summary of the 20th century. It took me more than ten years too long to extend my thinking beyond this roadblock.

“So as a black man and especially as a black American, any stand that I formerly took, I don’t think that I would have to defend it because it’s still a reaction to the society, and it’s a reaction that was produced by the society; and I think that it is the society that produces this that should be attacked, not the reaction that develops among the people who are the victims of that negative society.”

-From the Pierre Berton Show, taped at Station CFTO-TV in Toronto, January 19, 1965

It is interesting to note how soon after Malcolm's change of heart he was assassinated. It is interesting to note how his message as a living embodiment of hope for those who have slipped through the cracks of well-to-do society has been seen as a mark against him. It is key to observe the contentions over the non-fictional aspect of this work, when the existence of Columbus Day renders the controversy not only absurd, but obscene. Either do not discriminate in your pointing of fingers at act and advocation of physical violence, or don't do it at all.

Whatever your personal alignments with the beliefs conveyed in this book, it is and shall always be a gift to the world. While it may be true that I would have to be restrained from punching Malcolm X in the face for his deriding of women, especially his "any country's moral strength, or moral weakness, is quickly measurable by the street attire and attitude of its women", my disagreement does not impact my appreciation of his importance. What he believed in, he said, and the writing of this biography during the last few years of his life displays this dramatic evolution, all the more so because of Haley's keeping Malcolm X to his word of not changing the overarching message of any previous writing. It is his willingness to speak and question that led him on his pilgrimage to Mecca, it is this overhaul of both belief and character that led him from disenfranchised boy to city slick teenager to convict to minister to a crisis of conscience in full throes up to the point he was shot down. In his words, “I’m man enough to tell you that I can’t put my finger on exactly what my philosophy is now, but I’m flexible.” Patriarchal in delivery, admirable in gist.

There is no point to freedom of speech if you don't want to hear disagreeable things. Communication is worth as much as the controversy it provokes, and it is worth even more if the person communicating is willing to change in accordance to what is received by an open mind. In that, Malcolm X was a rare, rare breed, decrying the patronizing "equality" of the North as harshly as the blatant discrimination of the South, sometimes regretting his words but never recanting them. Just look at his main counterpart, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Even his proclaimed message of nonviolence doesn't save him from being condensed to a speech, a slogan, a "If Martin Luther King were alive today..." that ignores wholesale his indictment of capitalism, the Vietnam War, and so many other beliefs that don't fit in that image of a saint made comfortable for societal propagation. And this is how much the legacy of the "peaceful" civil rights activist has been twisted.

Before starting this book, I had a vague outline of race riots and Muslims. Today, I know Malcolm X to have been a reader, a thinker, a leader cut down in the midst of shifts from wholesale condemnation to broader platforms of acceptance, a man learning to hate the game of societal oppression, not the multitude of players. Thirty-six years and a wide variety of beliefs both religious and otherwise separates his lifetime from mine, but we share a desire for true and ubiquitous equality, as well as a love for James Baldwin. For that, I am glad to have finally made his literary acquaintance. ...more

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Apr 19, 2013 طَيْف rated it really liked it · review of another edition

أكتب مراجعتي فور انتهائي من قراءة الكتاب وإتباعه بمشاهدة الفيلم الوثائقي الذي أعدته الجزيرة عن هذه الشخصية الاستثنائية

أكتبها وتأثير تلك الصفحات ما زال غضا طريا...والمشاعر المتخبطة والمتضاربة تضج بداخلي...فرحا باهتدائه للحق...وألما على نهايته وخروج نعشه من باب الكنيسة...حزنا على خاتمة رجل عظيم تم اختزالها...وحبا لشخصية تركت أثرا وعاشت تحولا لا مثيل له

ذاك هو مالكوم إكس أو مالكوم ليتل، أو الحاج مالك الشباز، أعظم مدافع عن حقوق السود في مجتمع يتسيده الأمريكي الأبيض، الذي كان يمارس غطرسته وعنجهيته وظ description

أكتب مراجعتي فور انتهائي من قراءة الكتاب وإتباعه بمشاهدة الفيلم الوثائقي الذي أعدته الجزيرة عن هذه الشخصية الاستثنائية

أكتبها وتأثير تلك الصفحات ما زال غضا طريا...والمشاعر المتخبطة والمتضاربة تضج بداخلي...فرحا باهتدائه للحق...وألما على نهايته وخروج نعشه من باب الكنيسة...حزنا على خاتمة رجل عظيم تم اختزالها...وحبا لشخصية تركت أثرا وعاشت تحولا لا مثيل له

ذاك هو مالكوم إكس أو مالكوم ليتل، أو الحاج مالك الشباز، أعظم مدافع عن حقوق السود في مجتمع يتسيده الأمريكي الأبيض، الذي كان يمارس غطرسته وعنجهيته وظلمه ضد الأفارقة السود، ويحرمهم من أبسط حقوقهم

كانت معلوماتي عن مالكوم إكس ضئيلة ومشتتة...وأتاح لي الكتاب الولوج لعالمه من باب واسع...يرشدني بنفسه إلى طريقه...بكلماته ورؤيته وتفسيره للأمور ومنطقه وصدقه

ولأنها كلماته –وإن كتبها هايلي-فقد أحسست به أمامي يتحدث...تخيلته طفلا يبحث عن مكان آمن يلجأ إليه...وشابا حائرا متخبطا ينتقل من عمل لآخر...ويمارس كل الموبقات...وسجينا تدور بذهنه كل الأفكار التي يحاول من خلالها التوصل لتصالح مع النفس...وقائدا في أمة الإسلام ومدافعا عن "الإليجا محمد" بكل ما أوتي من قوة...ومن ثم معتزلا له ومهتديا للدين الحق...وإن كنت أظنه لم يصل تماما للسلام الداخلي وللطريق الذي يمكن من خلاله التعبير عن أفكاره

كان الكتاب بمثابة شق يطل بي على شخصية مالكوم إكس الاستثنائية...ودليل على ما يفعله نور الهداية بالإنسان لما يلامس شغاف القلب...فقد كان كما يقول حبيس لونه ثم انطلق بفضل الله إلى نور الإسلام وسعته...ودليل على أثر القراءة المكثفة في التحولات التي يشهدها الإنسان، وفي تكوين تفكيره...وعلى ما فعلته رحلته للحج بكل ما يملك من مبادئ وأفكار، ليعود بعدها داعيا إلى الإسلام الصحيح الذي يؤكد على أن الناس إخوة، بغض النظر عن ألوانهم وأشكالهم، وإلى التعايش بين بيض المجتمع وسوده

وتعرفت من خلاله على العديد من الظروف السياسية العالمية التي سادت في تلك الفترة، وعلى أمة الإسلام التي سمعت عنها الكثير وجهلت حقيقتها...وعلى العديد من المؤثرة في تلك الفترة سواء في عالمنا الإسلامي أو في العالم الغربي

حياة مالكوم إكس وأفكاره وشخصيته وانتماءاته شهدت تحولات كثيرة...حتى توصل إلى أن "إدانة كل البيض يساوي إدانة كل السود"...فنبذ الدعوة للعنف، واستبدلها بدعوة الإسلام "السلام"

ومع مفارقته لـ "أمة الإسلام" تكررت محاولات قتله، حتى تم اغتياله في الحادي والعشرين من شباط عام 1965، على أيدي أتباعها

بعد شهر واحد من اغتيال مالكوم إكس أقر الرئيس الأمريكي جونسون مرسوماً قانونياً ينص عل حقوق التصويت للسود وأنهى الاستخدام الرسمي لكلمة "نجرو" التي كانت تطلق على السود في أمريكا

حياة لا تختزل في سطور...فمن أحب التعرف على مالكوم إكس أكثر...فليقرأ الكتاب

وهنا حلقات وثائقية عنه للاستزادة
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=...

أخيرا...كل الشكر لمن اختار الكتاب...فقد أضاف لي الكثير
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Apr 25, 2008 Chris rated it it was amazing

Shelves: changed-the-way-i-read, taught-it-to-a-class

I'm in such awe of this book and the man behind it that I don't think I can really give it a fair review. I came late to Malcolm X - I didn't pick up his autobiography until I was twenty-five, during my third year teaching in the Bronx. He manages to so clearly articulate the injustice and anger that results from racism in America, and at the same time is unflinchingly honest regard his own life and his own failings. Following the progression of his thought and philosophy changed the way I thoug ...more

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Oct 13, 2016 Hasham Rasool rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: autobiography-biography, faith, favourites, classic, historical, non-fiction, own

Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh to all my brothers and sisters of Islam. Hello everyone.

I loved this book Alhamdulillah. I think The Autobiography of Malcolm X is one of the important non-fiction books.

Everyone! This book is a must read!

I need to tell people who haven't taught by Islam. Elijah Muhammad was not the Messenger of Allah because Allah said there is no Prophet will come after Prophet Muhammad SAW. Prophet Muhammad SAW was the last Messenger of Allah. Elijah might told ...more

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May 21, 2015 Huda Aweys rated it really liked it

Shelves: sports, music, religions, philosophy, politics, beauty, literature, contemporary-issues, history, classics, references, islam, memoir, biography, cultural, inspirational, rights

يجب أن نتعلم من الأطفال عدم الخجل من الفشل و أن نقوم و نعيد الكرة . إن معظم الكبار يرزحون تحت الخوف و الحذر و يركنون إلى الأمان و لذلك تجدهم مجفلين و متصلبين و خائفين و لذلك يفشل أكثرهم

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لقد غيرت القراءة مجرى حياتي تغييرا جذريا و لم أكن أهدف من ورائها إلى كسب أية شهادات لتحسين مركزي و إنما كنت أريد أن أحيا فكريا

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نعم كتبت رسالة من مكة تريدون الآن أن تعرفوا ان كنت قد قلت فيها إنني اقبل البيض كإخوة ؟ و أنا أجيب بأن ما رأيته في أرض الإسلام و شعرت به و كتبته في تلك الرسالة قد وسع دائرة تفكيري و

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Jun 17, 2014 عمرو عزازي rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

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مالكوم إكس أو الحاج مالك الشباز -رحمه الله

مالكوم أمريكي أفريقي عاصر فترة من أهم فترات التمييز العنصري ضد السود في الوﻻيات المتحدة إبان فترة الخمسينيات

حياته و سيرته حكاية تروي و تدرس .. مر بمنعطفات عجيبة في حياته

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في طفولته .. تم قتل والده على يد مجموعة من العنصريين البيض .. و والدته تم إيداعها مستشفى الأمراض العقلية بقرار ظالم، و تم إيداع مالكوم في دار للرعاية!

في بداية شبابه فعل ما ﻻ يخطر على بال .. خمر و قمار و مخدرات و قوادة و السرقة و السطو المسلح و غيرها ... و طبعا النتيجة كانت دخوله السجن ...more

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Apr 28, 2008 Jessica added it

Shelves: non-fiction

This is my second time though this book and it is still one of my favorite stories of all. I read several hundred pages of it while taking Greyhound to Virginia last week. The whole way I was sitting with three black ladies, and we all kept on talking about what all of us thought of Malcolm X and his ideas. Early in the trip lady across from me asked what I was reading--I think she knew and just wanted to see my reaction to her asking. I told her and we got into an amazing conversation about rac This is my second time though this book and it is still one of my favorite stories of all. I read several hundred pages of it while taking Greyhound to Virginia last week. The whole way I was sitting with three black ladies, and we all kept on talking about what all of us thought of Malcolm X and his ideas. Early in the trip lady across from me asked what I was reading--I think she knew and just wanted to see my reaction to her asking. I told her and we got into an amazing conversation about race in America, Islam and the ignorance of people who have grown up in the majority. Even when we weren't talking, I heard other people in the bus having conversations about race. One big guy behind me was arguing about something with the man across from him and kept calling himself and the other man "Negro"--always just as I was reading about Malcolm X calling himself and other people "Negro".

I realized, reading a story in The Atlantic about Bill Crosby called "This Is How We Lost to the White Man", a lot of what I like about Malcolm X's story is his conservatism. His fight in the north wasn't against admitted racists, it was against the entire culture of bias which hid (and hides) behind promises of "someday" and "if you only wait". That's why he pushed so hard for everyone to be self-sufficient. I don't ascribe to his early segregationists talk, but I believe anyone who is treated as lesser (women, teens, people in minorities) is most powerful when they are independent. PS: one of the creepies letters Malcolm X mentioned was on this topic from the head of the American Nazi party--saying they should get together to work for total segregation and relocation to Africa. Creepy stuff.

Some questions I have been left to contemplate after to this reading:

If Malcolm X hadn't been assassinated:
Would America have better relations with the Middle East?

From his trip to Mecca to his tours of Africa and his work to bring Islam to America, vitally linked with his newly moderate racial stance, I think a lot of the stupid fears about "Why Do They Hate Us" would have been dealt with long before 9/11.

What would Malcolm X's effect on the Women's Liberation Movement have been?

One of the most jarring stances of Malcolm X's for me was his incredibly low opinion of women. I think raising four girls would have forced him to become a feminist--I would hope he could not have failed to see the parallels between the degrading limitation of racism and sexism.

Anyhoo, I love this book! ...more

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Feb 19, 2012 Wael Ghonim rated it really liked it

A must read biography of a man who stood up for the principles he believed in.

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Jan 03, 2017 Jessaka rated it really liked it

Shelves: autobiography, african-american

I lived in a brown shingled house on Channing Way in Berkeley with 3 other roommates back in the early 70s. Next door to us, on the second story of an apartment building, lived a young black man. One day when I came home two of my male roommates said that they had something to show me in the kitchen. Spit. The black man next door had purposely spit out his window onto ours. I didn't know if either of the guys in our house had irritated him or if he just didn't like looking at us. In any case, th ...more

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Jun 26, 2016 Ibrahim Saad rated it really liked it · review of another edition

إن سيرة مالكوم إكس الذاتية إن هى إلا ترتيلة تمجد روح الإنسان التى يمكنها البقاء والاستمرار فى مواجهة أكثر الظروف افسادًا وتدميرًا. والإنسان فى مقدوره أن يحقق هذا البقاء وهذا الاستمرار لأنه يحلم دائمًا بعالم من البراءة الأولى وبذا يحتفظ بقدر من النقاء الروحى حتى بعد أن يصبح أكثر الساخرين مرارة. والإسلام بالنسبة لمالكوم هو حلم البراءة هذا، فلقد زوده بإطار مثالى حرره من افتراضات وأخلاقيات مجتمعة العرقية، وهى افتراضات وأخلاقيات كان عليه أن يتقبلها على الرغم من أنه ضحيتها وفريستها ..

كان كلام الدكتور ...more

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Jan 09, 2015 Xainab rated it it was amazing

Shortly before I turned the first page of this book, I experienced something of an epiphany regarding my reading habits. A friend of mine, who was examining my personal compilation entitled 'my top 10 most stupendously awe-inspiring and favourite books in the history of ever', happened to pass a casual comment regarding the utter lack of non-fiction in the list. The effect was instantaneous. I took a hasty inventory of my mental bookshelf, and came out with a fiction : non-fiction ratio which lo Shortly before I turned the first page of this book, I experienced something of an epiphany regarding my reading habits. A friend of mine, who was examining my personal compilation entitled 'my top 10 most stupendously awe-inspiring and favourite books in the history of ever', happened to pass a casual comment regarding the utter lack of non-fiction in the list. The effect was instantaneous. I took a hasty inventory of my mental bookshelf, and came out with a fiction : non-fiction ratio which looked – alarmingly – something like this: 834,574,385,435,384,573,434,593,445,345,346,545 : 1. At that moment, a metaphorical sledgehammer descended from the sky, hurtled at terminal velocity towards my head and knocked an enormous amount of sense into me. Disclaimer: I absolutely adore reading fiction, and always will - after all, as Picasso said, “art is a lie that makes us realise the truth.” However, considering that The Junior Encyclopaedia of Ancient Egypt was my most loyal companion throughout primary school recess, and that “borrowed” copies of my elder brother's science textbooks were basically my childhood sweethearts, it shocked me to realise that the role of non-fiction in my life had now declined to the point of borderline non-existence. Somewhere, somehow... something had gone extremely awry. Thus, in a state of great panic, shame and fluster, I picked up The Autobiography of Malcolm X - viewing it as my first step back into the non-fiction world. And I don't think I could have made a more appropriate choice.

I shall avoid saying too much, so that you may experience the most inspiring parts of this book for yourself, but I will certainly say this. In my current situation (as described above), what better role model could I wish for than Malcolm X himself? As mentioned, I had gone far too long without picking up a non-fiction book to educate myself on any kind of important subject relevant to today's world. And suddenly, there I was, reading the true story of a semi-literate convict who (despite having left school in eighth grade) applied immense self-discipline to achieve a level of autodidactism whilst in prison. Subsequently, he devoured hundreds of books... which then formed the intellectual fodder for his arguments against race-related subjugation:

“I knew right there in prison that reading had changed forever the course of my life. As I see it today, the ability to read awoke inside me some long dormant craving to be mentally alive... My homemade education gave me, with every book that I read, a little bit more sensitivity to the deafness, dumbness and blindness that was afflicting the black race in America... You will never catch me with a free fifteen minutes in which I'm not studying something I feel might be able to help the black man.”

It really made me wonder. If only I studied more, read up on a wider range of topics... What might I discover, and who might I be able to help? This is just one of the many reasons why I will forever consider this autobiography to be a source of moral and intellectual awakening for me. We also find, in the character of Malcolm X, an awe-inspiring fire and zeal: a commendable refusal to be silenced, especially when silence invites nothing but further suppression. And yet, what makes me respect him all the more is that his searingly honest criticism is not solely limited to that of the society around him. He is laudably vocal when it comes to accepting his own mistakes. Whether he is condemning his actions as a Harlem-based hustler (those were some fascinating anecdotes!) or disagreeing with the blanket anti-white attitudes he expressed as a member of the 'Nation of Islam', he is never afraid to admit where he was wrong. Throughout the book, he is a constant seeker of truth and justice, undergoing several radical changes in mindset, and each time emerging with a fresh perspective. Malcolm X, it's the most cliché thing in the world, but after reading your book, I truly want to become a braver, stronger and all round better person. Ossie Davis summed you up perfectly when he said:

“.... [Malcolm] knew that every Negro who did not challenge on the spot every instance of racism, overt and covert, committed against him and his people, who chose instead to swallow his spit and go on smiling, was an Uncle Tom and a traitor.... Malcolm kept snatching our lies away. He kept shouting the painful truth we whites and blacks did not want to hear from all the housetops. And he wouldn't stop for love or money... He would make you angry as hell, but he would also make you proud... Whatever else he was or not, Malcolm was a man!” ...more

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Dec 14, 2016 J Beckett rated it it was amazing

Shelves: african-american-non-fiction

Several years ago I decided to make the reading of The Autobiography of Malcolm X mandatory for my high school Honor's English students (I had read the book when it was first released). I taught in an "urban" Maryland public school, and most of the students, although considered honor's, were void of deeper literary exposure. My decision to "teach Malcolm X" was not looked upon well by the administration, but after thorough student led discussions and tying the story to their personal journey, th ...more

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Feb 04, 2011 Bushra Omar rated it really liked it · review of another edition

من المقطعين التاليين قررت أن أبدأ مراجعة هذا الكتاب
" إنني لم أكن لأضيع ساعه واحدة على هذا الكتاب الذي بتنبأ له بانتشار كبير في هذه الأيام التي أحتاج فيها إلى كل دقيقة من وقتي ، لو لم أكن مقتنعاً بأنها الوسيلة الناجعة الوحيده لإبلاغ ماأريد إبلاغه : إنني كنت أسفل سافلين في قاع المجتمع الأمريكـي عندنا اهتديت إلى الله وإلى الإسلام فتغير مجرى حياتي "
" وظنـي أنه لايوجد رجل أسود في أمريكا قاسى ماقاسيته أوتردى إلى درجة الإنحطاط الإجتماعي الذي ترديت إليه أو مني بالجهل الذي منيت به ولكـن لا إنفراج إلا بعد من المقطعين التاليين قررت أن أبدأ مراجعة هذا الكتاب
" إنني لم أكن لأضيع ساعه واحدة على هذا الكتاب الذي بتنبأ له بانتشار كبير في هذه الأيام التي أحتاج فيها إلى كل دقيقة من وقتي ، لو لم أكن مقتنعاً بأنها الوسيلة الناجعة الوحيده لإبلاغ ماأريد إبلاغه : إنني كنت أسفل سافلين في قاع المجتمع الأمريكـي عندنا اهتديت إلى الله وإلى الإسلام فتغير مجرى حياتي "
" وظنـي أنه لايوجد رجل أسود في أمريكا قاسى ماقاسيته أوتردى إلى درجة الإنحطاط الإجتماعي الذي ترديت إليه أو مني بالجهل الذي منيت به ولكـن لا إنفراج إلا بعد شدة ولامعنى للحرية إلا بعد الأسر والعبوديـة "

منها يمكنك أن تستنتج مايدور حوله هذا الكتاب الذي يحمله بين طياته شيئاً من تفاصيل حياة هذا الرجـل الذي مر بالكثير لـيصل إلى السلام النفسي بداخله ، ليـصل إلى طريق تفتح له أفاق جديدة في هذا العالم ، ليتبدل سير حياته من حال إلى حال وكل ذلك يعزيه مالكولم إلى الإسلام الدين الحق ، بعيداُ عن العنصريـه بعيداً عن الألوان والأجناس فكـلهم يعبدون إله واحداً
لاإله إلا هو

في بداية الكتاب تقرأ عن تفاصيل تبدو وكأنها صغيره في حياة مالكولم تبدأ من بيته وعائلته إلى أن تنتهي به كـ رجل داعي إلا الإسلام والوحده ، يمر بالكثير ليصل إلى الدين الحق وبمفهومه الصحيح حين يحط في بقاع مكـة ، في ذلك الفصل كنت أشعر بعظمة الإسلام تكاد تخترق كل شي ، كانت تلك القشعريرة تسري في جسدي حين يذكـر كيف تعلم الصلاه كيف وقف أمام الكـعبه .. ياااه كل تلك النعم نملكها نحن دون أن نبكي من عظمتها ، نحن الذين أنعم الله علينا بأكبر النعم في هذا العالم
نعمة أن تولد مسلماً يعرف أحكامه دينه وتفاصيله بالطريقة الصحيحة التي وردت في القرآن ومن أقوال رسولنا الكريم صلى الله عليه وسلم
في سيرة مالكولم تستطيع أن ترى بوضوح أي جهل كان يعيشه وأي حياة كان يمر بها وكيف أنه خرج منها بالإسلام وقراءة الكتب يقول مالكولم
" إن الناس لاتعرف أن كتاباً واحداً كفيل بأن يغير مجرى حياة الإنسان "
نعم كتاب واحد يضيء لك حياتك ، يفتح أفاقاً ماكنت ستراها إلا من نافذة المكتبة وتحديداً في الكتب
أكثر ماأثر فيني هو منظر الآيات القرآنيه في فصول الكتاب ، وكم هي السعادة التي تملكتني حين رأيتها .. وللحظه تمنيت أن أحصل على النسخة الإنجليزيه لأرى كيف كتبت فيها
عظمة الإسلام تنبثق تحديداً من الفصول الأخيره في الكتاب وتمنيت أنها تستمر وتستمر إلى مالانهاية ، لأتأكد أن إسلامنا يصل إلى تلك البلاد البعيده بصورة حسنة وصحيحة ، وحديثه عن مكة وعن الكرم العربي والأخوه والمودة كل ذلك سعدت لانه يصل إليهم بعيداً عن صورتنا الإرهايبة التي تسيطر على عقول الكثير منهم
وأخيراً ..
خاتمة الكتاب كفيلة بأن تجمع لك كل مشاعرك التي تكونت أثناء قراءتك وتصل بك إلى فخر بهذا الرجل الذي وجد في الإسلام دين الحق والسلام ، وتدعوا له بالرحمة والمغفرة

...more

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Aug 10, 2007 L. rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Every American

Shelves: non-fiction-and-philo

I understand why rap culture stresses "hustling" so much. It's as if rappers just never finished the book. It's not as awesome an autobiography as Gandhi's but better than most any other bio you'll find. Usually biographies are just dry chronicles of some rich asshole's favorite color and addiction du jour. This really gets you inside his head. I am thoroughly convinced that he should share an equal place in the canon of great Americans with equal respect and prestige as George Washington. Also, ...more

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Jun 14, 2007 Josh rated it it was amazing

Shelves: myfavorites

There are only a handful of books you can read in a lifetime that have a tangible impact on you. My dad reccomended this to me when I was 15, as I searched for something interesting in between the lawyer, doctor, monster New York Times bestsellers I'd read compulsively. Alex Haley helped Malcolm X shape a personal history that spit in the face of the public school education I had recieved up until that point, and more importantly I learned the value of literature. How books have the potential to ...more

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May 07, 2015 Melody rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Anyone.

On Dr. King's Birthday I was knee-deep in the Autobiography of Malcolm X. At a nearby holiday celebration, one speaker stood at the pulpit and noted that "there was Martin and there was Malcolm. Thank God Martin won."

But did he? As I think about the Autobiography, I'm impressed by the book as an incredible testament to one man's intelligence, eloquence, and passion. In its passion, it has lived on; Malcolm's legacy lives on, visible in subtle parts of our culture. We see him in the power of the ...more

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Mar 27, 2014 Samar rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-again, i-own, all-time-fav, books-i-learned-from, 2013-books

I'm not sure how 2 review this book, I need to catch ma breath & take ma time be4 writing my detailed review, 'm sooo speechless...

All I can say 4 now is that I'm beyond impressed, wat a fascinating man, wat a journey, wat a struggle, Malcolm was a real truthful impressive brilliant man...

"And, in honoring him,we honor the bestin ourselves."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
June 5,2013

So I'm an Arab -Egyptian- Muslim girl living in Cairo, wat did I know ...more

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Aug 30, 2015 Myriam rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: memoirs-biography, non-fiction

For a long time while reading The Autobiography, I thought it was going to be a 4-star read for me. And then the last 50 pages happened.
Amazing. Such an important read.
It has its flaws, of course. For example, I found it a little too wordy in some places, and there are some things that were said that I just couldn't agree with.
But it was still kind of a revelation. As a non-American, white, comparatively privileged woman, there are realities that I am just not familiar with and this book helped ...more

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Mar 27, 2016 Shannon rated it really liked it

Shelves: own, books-by-black-men

I will not attempt to add my two cents to the five decades of commentary that currently exist. But I will say this, when Malcolm says of Elijah Muhammad, "My black brothers and sisters, you have come from your homes to hear-now you are going to hear-America's wisest black man! America's boldest black man! America's most fearless black man." I uttered an audible - No. It was you, Malcolm. It was you.

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Nov 11, 2012 Hafeth rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: سيرة-و-مذكرات, 5-stars

الترجمة:
ترجمة المذكرات كانت ممتازة, و لم أشعر بأنها كانت حرفية أو متكلفة
تقول المترجمة في مقدمتها أنها قضت سنة من العمل لامتواصل في ترجمة الكتاب, و هذا واضح تماما في هذا العمل القيّم
هناك ملاحظة هامشية على الترجمة, و هي استخدام كلمة "مهتف" بدلا من "الهاتف". قد يكون ذلك صحيحا لغويا, لكنه غير دارج

محتوى الكتاب:
أملى مالكوم إكس المذكرات على المؤلف "أليكس هيلي" بشكل شفوي, لهذا فهناك إسهاب غير مبرر في كثير من المواضع, و تكرار, و نوع من الخطابة الإنشائية

يبدأ الكتاب شيقا في افصل الأول و الثاني, حيث يستعرض ...more

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Feb 21, 2012 Mike (the Paladin) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Hard to rate a book like this...I mean in some cases things tend to transcend "enjoyability". In many places and ways I wouldn't call this book, "enjoyable".

Malcolm X's life was a struggle. he was a criminal, a hater, a dupe, a learner, a racist, someone who renounced racism, a member of the Nation of Islam, a renouncer of the Nation of Islam, and a Sunni Muslim who preached peace. He was a fighter and a murder victim (though of course that happened after this book's composition).

I'd recommend t ...more

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Jul 31, 2014 Lamia Al-Qahtani rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

كانت حياتي سلسلة من التحولات الجذرية – مالكوم اكس
كتبت هذا الموضوع في مدونتي السابقة وفي أحد المنتديات منذ أكثر 3 سنوات تقريبا وأعيد نشره وسأبدأ بتلخيص لحياته ثم أتكلم عن الكتاب ورأيي فيه في نهاية التدوينة بإذن الله .
الميلاد والنشأة

ولد مالكوم اكس في الولايات المتحدة في وقت كان يعاني فيه السود من عنصرية مقيتة وكان اسمه مالكوم ليتل ولكن رفضه وغيره إلى مالكوم X لأن الرجل الأبيض هو من أعطاه هذا الاسم ، أمه لم تكن زنجية وكان هو السابع من بين أخوته أما والده فكان قسيسا من أتباع ماركوس كافي الذي نادى ...more

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Oct 10, 2014 Barry Pierce rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 20th-century, read-in-2014

Malcolm X is always going to be a controversial figure. I very briefly learned about his work in my History class last year but I felt that I wanted to know more. So I read this. This is very much a book split in two halves. Before Islam and After Islam.

The story of Malcolm X's childhood and teenage years are really fascinating. We see that he was just a normal teenager but he doesn't many things which cause him to end up in prison. Famously in prison he discovers Islam and quickly converts. Th ...more

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Jul 21, 2010 Nawal Al-Qussyer rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 50-books-in-2010-project

قصة هذا الرجل عبارة عن شيء ملهم
لمن قرأت كل السيرة تبعه وقرأت كيف التغيير اللي صار بحياته صار عندي مبدأ مقتنعة فيه جدا جدا إنو:
فرص التغيير لكل واحد متساوية تماما! يمكن تكون اصعب من شخص لشخص
لكنها بالتأكيد متساوية ! اللي أعنيه كيف كان مالكوم وكيف صار! كيف كان شخص جدا سيء يمارس كل أنواع الرذيلة وبعدها صار رجل من رجال الفضيلة. هذا الكتاب غيرني بعض الشيء .. فهمني أكثر انو مافي شي مستحيل على الانسان.. التغيير ممكن جدا .. لأي شخص ومهما بدا سوئه !

الكتاب يستعرض سيرة مالكوم إكس من طفولته و وضعه في عائلته و ...more

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