The Autobiograpy of Malcom X

BossArky

Just finished Malcolm X's auto bio. Prior to reading this I had no idea who he was or what he stood for, apart from recognising the name as some undesirable.

He went from a childhood of poverty in Michigan, to the ghettos of Harlem, to years in prison and then out into the 2nd in command of the Black Muslims "nation of Islam".

Interesting story, if he does come across as rather ignorant and blinkered. Go read it.

8/10.

DublinWriter

BossArky wrote:

Interesting story, if he does come across as rather ignorant and blinkered. Go read it.

I can't believe you've not seen the Spike Lee biopic on Malcolm X.

I'm not sure at what stage in his young life that X wrote his autobiography, but his views about whites changed radically after he did his Haj to Mecca.

Beruthiel

DublinWriter wrote:

I can't believe you've not seen the Spike Lee biopic on Malcolm X..

I can't either, it was fantastically well done.

I read that autobio maybe 15 years ago and thought if was a cracking read.
If you liked it Boss, you should have a go at Steve Biko, Nelson Mandela and Martin L. King.

BossArky

His autobio was coming together over the last 2 years of his life, until just before he was killed at age 39 in 1965.

Yes his views did change after his trip to Mecca. It was good to see him acknowledge himself as ignorant and untravelled prior to that trip.

I will try to check out that film so.

Yeah I read the Nelson Mandela bio, not the other two yet though.

Bodhidharma

Greatest single book i've ever read. What a man.
The book is unbelievable because as it was being written, events around him changed his worldview completley. Instead of ripping up what he no longer beleived in, he kept it in, showing his evolution.
Its such an inspiring story. I mean, the guy predicts his own murder a few pages from the end but felt no ill will.
I honestly feel that this book would be well used if it was put on the school curriculum. It shows tolerance, the foolishness of racism, the need to evolve and how a man can change.
Fantastic book by a truely great man, he's a rarity - a true hero.

10/10

BossArky

The one and probably only good thing to being imprisoned is having the time to read as much as Malcolm X and Nelson Mandela both did.

Imagine having nothing else to do but read, read, read, read, read, ... and read somemore.

DublinWriter

BossArky wrote:

Imagine having nothing else to do but read, read, read, read, read, ... and read somemore.

...and the problem is? As Morrisey once said "There's more to life than books you know, but not much more."

As for changing his worldview, X obviously heeded Mohammad Ali's great saying "show me the man who at 50 thinks the same way as he did as 18 and I will show you a man who has learned nothing".

BossArky

DublinWriter wrote:

...and the problem is?

Did I say there was a problem? I am envious of someone having such amounts of time on their hands to read, albeit locked up.

One of my favourite lines from Malcolm X's book is when he is quoting Elijah Muhammed's idea on the ideal age of a wife for a husband... it went something like:

"I had been thinking about the messenger Mr.Elijah Muhammed's recommendation on the appropriate age of a wife for a man, half his age plus 7".

Excellent! Any 19 and a half year olds out there for me?

Bodhidharma

[QUOTE=DublinWriter

As for changing his worldview, X obviously heeded Mohammad Ali's great saying "show me the man who at 50 thinks the same way as he did as 18 and I will show you a man who has learned nothing".[/QUOTE]

Are you joking? Anyone who knows anything about their relationship knows that Ali snubbed X in favour of that moron Elijah Muhammad. The day Ali could teach x something is the day a junior cert student gets a job at NASA.