The Autobiography of Malcolm X

This was a book I first read nearly fifty years ago after my childhood friend Nate Harrington taught me to read while we were in prison together at 18 and 19 years old. As part of our commitment to helping each other return to our communities as an asset and not a liability, the men in prison taught each other political education classes, which included reading key texts like Malcolm X’s autobiography.

This book gave me an indication that I could do something different with my life. That moment occurred when it was revealed that Malcolm was known as “Detroit… show more.

I love Malcolm’s story because it captures the complexity of humanity. It is not just a story about his time in prison or how he became a central figure in the Civil Rights Movement; it’s about how one person can do everything. A single trait or action defines no one. We are all products of an ever-changing tapestry of experiences. 

Malcolm’s story is about a life filled with challenges, mistakes, redemption, passion, and purpose, and he never holds back in its retelling. Admittedly, I grew up with a false, dichotomous understanding of Malcolm X as the violent counterpart to Martin… show more.

This might seem like a strange choice since this book is not directly about policing. But it shows in a powerful and direct way how inextricably bound policing is with the basic organization of this society.

Despite the controversies currently surrounding Hayley’s depiction of Malcolm X’s life, the book retains its power to express Malcolm X’s cutting critique of every one of this country’s justifications for its brutal criminal justice system. No one who engages with it can believe that police exist simply to deal with some criminal element in society.

But the book also shows how impossible it would… show more.

Bad writing often feels written. This book feels and is spoken. A magnificent speaker finds a good listener in Alex Haley.

Told in the first person by Malcolm Little, who later is called “Detroit Red” and later (in prison) called “Satan” and becomes Malcolm X and, eventually, Malik Shabazz: a great American story. From misery and injustice and mistreatment and crime and leadership to his ultimate interest in history and philology. 

The first time I read this book, I think I devoured it in almost one sitting. Riveting and fast-moving, the story of Malcolm Little from Omaha, Nebraska to his rise as one of the most influential advocates for racial justice is not to be missed. I promise you won’t be disappointed by this read!  

This was the first book that I ever read that wasn’t assigned to me. I read it when I was 13 years old because the movie was about to come out that year and my cousin made me read it. At its core, it’s a story of self-discovery, race, and evolution. It’s filled with lessons that fathers, especially those with children of color, should definitely be teaching to their kids.

The second choice is another statutory example for a life punctured and ended by resistance against the rather more nefarious manifestations of power, in this case racism in the United States. I had to read this book in high school at a German Protestant private school in the northern port town of Hamburg and I was immediately struck by its vivid realism, and the genuine belief of the author that a just struggle will prevail in the end. I am sure Malcolm would see his worldview vindicated by the global BlackLivesMatter movement triggered by the savage murder of George Floyd.

Malcolm X’s autobiography, co-written with Alex Haley, is one of the most compelling personal testimonies ever published in America and one of the most extraordinary leadership journeys ever documented. It is simultaneously educational and wrenching, as the narrative moves from Malcolm’s difficult childhood to his life as a criminal to his political and spiritual awakening in prison to his rise to national and global fame and notoriety as a black revolutionary to his murder at age 39. What we learn from his story is how a leader can emerge “organically”, without being appointed, or selected, or having an institutional base… show more.