Must Read Autobiographies - VI

The Autobiography Of Malcolm X

Alex Haley, Malcolm X

The Autobiography of Malcolm X was published in 1965. Journalist Alex

Haley scripted the book based on his interviews with the human rights activist, Malcom X (1925 - 1965) between 1963 and 1965. The Autobiography narrates the philosophy of Malcolm X's on black pride, black nationalism, and pan- Africanism. Haley wrote the epilogue of the book after Malcolm's assassination in 1965.

While Malcolm X and scholars contemporary to the book's publication regarded Haley as the book's ghostwriter, modern scholars tend to regard him as an essential collaborator. They say he intentionally muted his authorial voice to create the effect of Malcolm X speaking directly to readers. Haley influenced some of Malcolm X's literary choices. For example, Malcolm X left the Nation Of Islam during the period when he was working on the book with Haley. Rather than rewriting earlier chapters as a polemic against the Nation which Malcolm X had rejected, Haley persuaded him to favor a style of "suspense and drama." According to Manning Marable, "Haley was particularly worried about what he viewed as Malcolm X's anti-Semetisim" and he rewrote material to eliminate it.

When the Autobiography was published, the New York Times reviewer described it as a "brilliant, painful, important book". In 1967, historian John William Ward wrote that it would become a classic American autobiography. In 1998, time named The Autobiography of Malcolm X as one of ten "required reading" nonfiction books. 

Beginning with his mother's pregnancy, the book describes Malcolm's childhood in Michigan, the death of his father under questionable circumstances, and his mother's deteriorating mental health that resulted in her commitment to a psychiatric hospital. Little's young adulthood in Boston and New York City is covered, as well as his involvement in organized crime. This led to his arrest and subsequent eight- to ten-year prison sentence, of which he served six-and-a-half years (1946–1952). The book addresses his ministry with Elijah Muhammad and the Nation Of Islam (1952–1963) and his emergence as the organization's national spokesman. It documents his disillusionment with and departure from the Nation of Islam in March 1964, his pilgrimage to Mecca, which catalyzed his conversion to orthodox Sunni Islamism, and his travels in Africa. Malcolm X was assassinated in New York's Audubon Ballroom in February 1965, before they finished the book. (Extracts from Wikipedia).

Namaste

Prabir