Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention (Pulitzer Prize Winner)

Manning Marable

Apr 2011 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for History and a New York Times bestseller, the definitive biography of Malcolm X

Hailed as "a masterpiece" (San Francisco Chronicle), Manning Marable's acclaimed biography of Malcolm X finally does justice to one of the most influential and controversial figures of twentieth-century American history. Filled with startling new information and shocking revelations, Malcolm X unfolds a sweeping story of race and class in America. Reaching into Malcolm's troubled youth, it traces a path from his parents' activism as followers of Marcus Garvey through his own work with the Nation of Islam and rise in the world of black nationalism, and culminates in the never-before-told true story of his assassination. Malcolm X is a stunning achievement, the definitive work on one of our greatest advocates for social change.

Ratings and reviews

The research that went into this book is profound , but the liberty Mr Marabel took in making provocative and unsupported assertions was also as profound . Minus the provocative unsustained statements , and over 200 pages on pure purposeless detail this would be a good book ,but minus the shock value provided by the innuendo it wouldn't have sold . This represents an attempt to stain the image of a huge individual for book sales

If you haven't read the autobiography of Malcolm X, I would suggest you do before cracking this book open. Marble does track down excellent evidence to fill in the cracks. I could have done without his wilder claims. Great read nonetheless.

There is rarely an opportunity to see a book display the unbiased story of Malcolm Little's life and all the tidbits of information about the organizations, leaders, and people in his life. Too often books that seek to have no bias end up giving such equality to each side of the discussion that they miss the reality and impracticality of either side. Marable gives no credence to the Nation of Islam, but he does it without a bias, as one would expect after hearing the absurdity of Yacub's History. Marable never fails to praise Malcolm when needed. Overall, a very interesting book on black civil rights.

About the author

Manning Marable, Professor of History and director of the Institute for African-American Studies at Columbia University, has written features in the New York Times and the Nation. His books include Race, Reform, and Rebellion; Beyond Black and White; and Speaking Truth to Power. His public affairs commentary series, "Along the Color Line," is featured in more than 275 newspapers and is broadcast by eighty radio stations in the U.S. and internationally.