The essential book written by Malcolm X and Alex Haley shortly before his death in 1965, this book tell the story mostly as we know it now. In fact the book came out about six months after he died, something he addresses a few times throughout and then significantly near the end. He did not have any specific illusions about his long-terms health in this country. His is an interesting case too because while he’s an obvious threat to the illusions of peace in this country (by telling at least a version of the truth that gets hidden from most citizens) his general (if complex/complicated) separatism throughout most of this public career could easily would have been most threatening to white moderate establishment more than anything, since it was anti-assimilationist.
It also needs to be emphasized repeatedly how well-written and compelling this book is. A good third to half only hints at the revolutionary ideas to come in the second part. But the story of young Malcolm growing up, being an absolute cad to his family and a minor villain, becoming enmeshed in organized crime in Boston, running numbers, going to prison, etc is all incredibly compelling and entertaining. The story of his turn toward the Nation of Islam as well, and facing down his own ignorance and naivete first with the truths about Elijah Muhammad (who I have to admit comes off as incredibly obviously a scammer in this book) and then the Hajj. There’s a misconception I’ve heard and trafficked in about a kind of kumbaya version of Malcolm X at the end of his life that needs to be clarified: he did believe in an open and broad coalition ultimately, but within Islam. He does state at the end a wider belief of live and let live (or his version of it).
You really have to hand it to Spike Lee and his film version of this. There’s a lot of detail, analysis, heart, and content missing from that movie in comparison, but the main beats are all there.
