Selected by The New York Times Book Review as a Notable Book of the Year Years in the making-the definitive biography of the legendary black activist.
Of the great figure in twentieth-century American history perhaps none is more complex and controversial than Malcolm X. Constantly rewriting his own story, he became a criminal, a minister, a leader, and an icon, all before being felled by assassins' bullets at age thirty-nine. Through his tireless work and countless speeches he empowered hundreds of thousands of black Americans to create better lives and stronger communities while establishing the template for the self-actualized, independent African American man. In death he became a broad symbol of both resistance and reconciliation for millions around the world.
Manning Marable's new biography of Malcolm is a stunning achievement. Filled with new information and shocking revelations that go beyond the Autobiography, Malcolm X unfolds a sweeping story of race and class in America, from the rise of Marcus Garvey and the Ku Klux Klan to the struggles of the civil rights movement in the fifties and sixties. Reaching into Malcolm's troubled youth, it traces a path from his parents' activism through his own engagement with the Nation of Islam, charting his astronomical rise in the world of Black Nationalism and culminating in the never-before-told true story of his assassination. Malcolm X will stand as the definitive work on one of the most singular forces for social change, capturing with revelatory clarity a man who constantly strove, in the great American tradition, to remake himself anew.
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"This is a dense, detailed and scholarly biography. It strikes me as being very balanced, exploring his antecedents, culture in which he was raised, early life, prison experience, reinvention in the Nation of Islam, and his continuing growth and development as a black nationalist. I do not agree with the subtitle, as the only reinvention I discerned was his conversion; the rest was more a process of adapting to changing circumstances and acceptance of a broader worldview. The book is also valuable in describing the origins of the movement that culminated in the Nation of Islam, and that body's history. My only reservation is that the book is, in my opinion, too long. The material could have been covered in about half the pages, which would greatly add to its appeal to the average reader."
— Harry (4 out of 5 stars)
“In his revealing and prodigiously researched new biography…Mr. Marable artfully strips away the layers and layers of myth that have been lacquered onto his subject’s life—first by Malcolm himself in that famous memoir, and later by both supporters and opponents after his assassination.”
— New York Times“A bold, sure-footed, significant biography of enormous depth and feeling.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)“It will be difficult for anyone to better this book…It is a work of art, a feast that combines genres skillfully: biography, true-crime, political commentary. It gives us Malcolm X in full gallop, a man who died for his belief in freedom.”
— Washington Post“Magisterial…Marable’s biography is an exceedingly brave as well as a major intellectual accomplishment.”
— Boston Globe“Marable has crafted an extraordinary portrait of a man and his time…A masterpiece.”
— San Francisco Chronicle“This book is a must read.”
— Ebony“The book also has much to recommend it for its history of orthodox Islam, the perspective it offers on the black political movements of the 1950s and 1960s that changed America, and its insights into the development and inner workings of the Nation of Islam.”
— Financial Times“Marable accomplishes the difficult task of showing the bad boy of the civil rights era as an actual human being.”
— New York Daily NewsMalcolm X is etched in the American imagination—and the American psyche—in the particular and unyielding terms of radical and militant… Marable brings a lifetime of study to this biography, which is the crowning achievement of a magnificent career.
— Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Harvard University“Manning Marable is the exemplary black scholar of radical democracy and black freedom in our time. His long-awaited magisterial book on Malcolm X is the definitive treatment of the greatest black radical voice and figure of the mid-twentieth century. Glory Hallelujah!
— Cornel West, Princeton University“The book is cause for celebration . . . The book is full of revelations, big and small, and amounts to a full-on reconsideration of Malcolm’s life and death.
— VeryShortList.com“As Malcolm lived on through his best-selling autobiography, so will Marable, through his unmatched body of writing, his educational contributions, his illuminations on Malcolm X's legacy and his devoted students.
— CNN.Com“Manning was an unflinching and breathtakingly prolific scholar whose commitments to racial, economic, gender, and international justice were unparalleled . . . That we will have his long-anticipated, great and final work even as he leaves us is so classically, tragically appropriate.
— The Nation“While Marable himself is irreplaceable, he has provided a foundation for future generations and will continue to shape our understanding of social change and justice.
— TheRoot.com“A prolific scholar.
— The Columbia Record“This superbly perceptive and resolutely honest book will long endure as a definitive treatment of Malcolm’s life, if not of the actors complicit in his death.
— The Wilson Quarterly“This book is not the only representation of Manning's brilliance… it is a culmination of a lifetime of scholarship and activism, a larger project devoted to telling the stories of a people engaged in an epic, painful and beautiful struggle for freedom.
— BlackVoices.com“This is history at its finest—written with passion and attention and drive. It is a fitting testament to the lives and the legacies of both subject and author.
— TheBarnesandNobleReview.com“Marable accomplishes the difficult task of showing the bad boy of the civil rights era as an actual human being . . . Each page almost secretes the formidable research into hard facts. Marable lets the chips fall where they may because he is interested in the humanity of Malcolm X, as all true scholars should be.
— New York Daily News“[Marable] devoted his magnificent career—more than most scholars do—to living what he wrote and what he thought. His commitment not only to equality of opportunity but also to the exposure of falsehood and hypocrisy was a hallmark of his pathbreaking work.
— The Chronicle of Higher Education“Manning Marable’s scholarship was as provocative and profound as it was prodigious.
— Newsday“The book also has much to recommend it for its history of orthodox Islam, the perspective it offers on the black political movements of the 1950s and 1960s that changed America, and its insights into the development and inner workings of the Nation of Islam.
— The Financial Times“Thankfully, we have Manning Marable's new biography, Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention — which is, simply put, a stunning achievement — to help us better understand Malcolm’s complex life.
— The Philadelphia Tribune“This book is a must read.
— Ebony“Marable has crafted an extraordinary portrait of a man and his time…A masterpiece.
— San Francisco Chronicle“Magisterial…Marable’s biography is an exceedingly brave as well as a major intellectual accomplishment.
— Boston Globe“Unlike Bruce Perry’s 1991 biography, Malcolm, which entertained the most outlandish stories in an attempt to present a comprehensive portrait, Marable’s biography judiciously sifts fact from myth.
— The Atlantic“In his revealing and prodigiously researched new biography. . . Mr. Marable artfully strips away the layers and layers of myth that have been lacquered onto his subject’s life — first by Malcolm himself in that famous memoir, and later by both supporters and opponents after his assassination.
— Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times“It will be difficult for anyone to better this book... It is a work of art, a feast that combines genres skillfully: biography, true-crime, political commentary. It gives us Malcolm X in full gallop, a man who died for his belief in freedom.
— The Washington Post"A superbly written and carefully researched biography of the civil rights icon...I can’t recommend it highly enough.
— Laila Lalami, The New York Times“Manning Marable’s Malcolm X is his magnum opus, a work of extraordinary rigor and intellectual beauty … This majestic and eloquent tour de force will stand for some time as the definitive work on as enigmatic and electrifying a leader as has ever sprung from American soil.
— Michael Eric Dyson, Georgetown University, author of April 4, 1968“Marable’s definitive biography is now the standard by which scholars can evaluate, not just what Malcolm X said, but what generations of others have said about him.
— The National" While Marable is to be commended for the research involved, he suffers from the notion that everything including the kitchen sink needed to included. Large sections of the book read like long grocery lists of where Malcolm gave speeches and to where he traveled. The larger historical context is lacking. Marable leaves untreated Malcolm's antisemitic and misogynistic speeches and behaviors. He includes them as if they are part of the norm. "
— Simone, 2/16/2014" A very interesting look at the life of Malcolm X, as well as an examination of he origins and transformation of the Black Muslim movement. "
— Ted, 1/30/2014" Amazing and thoughtful, Marable makes Malcolm palpable in ways others simply couldn't. "
— José, 1/4/2014" This was a great and insightful book about a man who did not live out his dream. "
— Arthur, 10/23/2013" Great book for those that wanted to look deeper into the life and mind of Malcolm X. A must read. "
— Icebergslimny1, 10/11/2013" Deeply researched book on the life of Malcolm X published right after the author's death. IT gives new insight into why Malcolm was the person he was, taking us beyond the public to the incidents that created the man we knew as Malcolm X. "
— Jessica, 8/1/2013" I could spend a lot of time writing a review for this book; however, I will try to be concise: great piece of scholarship! "
— Yousuf, 1/26/2013" A lot of speculation in this book, but offers a multi-dimensional look at Malcolm. From his well covered relationship with the Nation of Islam to a less known peek into his marriage to Mrs. Betty Shabazz. Well worth a read to get beyond the "who shot Malcolm." "
— Sheri, 10/2/2012" I loved reading about this incredible man. I don't understand why we don't celebrate him as well as Martin Luther King, Jr. "
— Emily, 9/26/2012" This rich history and biography was so beautifully read by G. Valmont Thomas that I listened to many of the chapters several times. Marable did a magnificent job in his research and writing. I found it so interesting that I will likely listen to it again. "
— Barbara, 6/16/2012" The Alex Haley biography is one of my favorite books, and this is a good compliment to it. Giving details and info that weren't in the biography. "
— Brian, 1/6/2012" Very dense, excellently researched and full of pertinent information. "
— Laurent, 8/1/2011" Well written text, with many startling details providing insight into the man behind the myth. "
— Jeanette, 5/9/2011" "Of all sad words of tongue or pen,<br/>The saddest are these: 'It might have been!'" "
— Bruce, 5/7/2011" Malcolm X: “It takes power to talk to power. It takes madness almost to deal with a power structure that’s so corrupt” (419). "
— Isaac, 5/4/2011Manning Marable is a professor of public affairs, history, political science, and African American studies at Columbia University and is the director of the university’s Center for Contemporary Black History. He has written or edited 22 books.
G. Valmont Thomas, a longtime member of the acting company at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, has also been a faculty member at the Johnny Carson School of Film and Television at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. His voice may also be heard in a number of video games and in advertisements for radio and television.