"Malcolm X and Black Pride" by Robert Cwiklik might be a juvenile biography but it deals adult issues and language, which is a way of informing you that this book quotes the derogatory language to which blacks have been subjected. This is an excellent bigoraphy of Malcolm X, dealing with not only the major events in his life but the issues that defined his public rhetoric. Cwiklik presents Malcom X as a leader of the Nation of Islam, who taught blacks to take pride in their race. This book takes pains to explain both Malcolm X's break with Elijah Muhammad and his fundamental disagreement with Martin Luther King, Jr. There are also pages devoted to explaining Marcus Garvey's dream of the "new Negro" and the religion of Islam as distinct from the Black Muslims of the Nation of Islam. The book includes photographs from throughout Malcolm X's life as well as some of the artwork honoring him on the walls fo teh Audubon Ballroom where he was killed. This book, part of the Gateway Civil Rights series, will give young readers an excellent introduction to the life and rhetoric of Malcolm X. If you have not read his most famous speech, "The Ballot or the Bullet," then that would be something to look at after reading this book.

This book really captures the heart, the mind, and the troubles of Malcolm X and society in the 1960's. The beautiful illustrations are wonderful at expressing complex emotions and complement the words of Walter Dean Myers extemely well. This book is fabulous as children seek to understand the complexities of those turbulent times.

this was kinda a good book but i was doing it for a school report so nothing having to do with school is fun! but i guess if u really dont have a life then u could read this book for no apparent reason

I had to read this book when I was doing a paper for school and at first I thought that this was boring but as I got into the book the life of Malcolm X was very intregueing. I enjoyed learning about this facinating man. Read ths book-it is very good.

Don Steele demonstrates his superiority to any philosopher in these two volumes. Steele gives us a more practical way of looking at ourselves and what we should be doing. Any serious student should know something about his work.

As a student of American History and as a teacher of American History and Government I have found this book to be incredibly helpful, informative and inspiring. Malcolm X is a figure in American History that deserves more recognition and this book helps students and teachers re-evaluate his contributions. It also worth reading even if you are not a teacher or a student but just interested in malcolm X and African-American studies.

The late Louis E. Lomax (1922-1970) wrote this book shortly after Dr. King's assassination. He traces the path of both leaders. He shows the forces that brought the 2 leaders together on many issues. He also show the opposition forces to these men that materialized into assassins. I recommend that you read this book.

This is a very "wordy" book about a complex man, his life, politics, and beliefs. It is not a history per se of Malcolm X, nor is it a biography, rather it is a collection of ideas within ideas about Malcolm X and what made him tick. I must warn you though it is not as easy book to read, but it rates five stars in my opinion because it attempts to be analytical and non-judgemental about the man and his times. Not an easy task when you are writing about someone as famous as Malcolm X. This is a good book to supplement Alex Haley's book on Malcolm X as it looks deeper into the man and what he stood for. Well worth reading if you have the time and patience.

Knowing Malcolm X for a colored person is a prerequisite to being socially aware. Time Magazine calls this one of the top ten non-fictions ever. The reasons are clear. This is the most comprehensive, dauntingly honest, transcending account of X. No one energized the colored community with such "self respect" on a mass-level as Brother Malcolm. Malcolm X's charismatic influence as a genuinely intellectual, and intensely thought-provoking leader remains unmatched. The greatest aspect of Malcolm X was his committment to his very own thoughts and thus, speaking his mind. He didn't necessarily say what America's majority wanted to hear. That is why he was so phenomenal, so radical, so involving. His teachings on self-defense, "freedom by any means necessary", true Islam (after the Mecca trip); his urgency in creating forums for colored people, oppressed people world-wide; and his logical prioritizing of human rights before civil rights, are evidential of his deep/complex understanding of race and human nature. The latest version of the book includes a very special message by X's eldest daughter, A. Shabazz. She gives a personal insight into her father's life, goals, and philosophies. But most importantly, she clarifies the misconceptions surrounding X. "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" is top-notch. Frantz Fanon's scholarly writing, "The Wretched of the Earth" probably comes second.

Before I began reading this book, the only things I knew of Malcolm X was his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's, but after reading this book, I realized that there was much more to this man than what I have learned in history class. Alex Haley did a tremendous job of of putting together this book and letting the reader inside the mind of one of the most influential people in the 20th Century. By reading throught these pages, you can almost see yourself next to Malcolm as he describes his life, from growing up in Michigan, living in Boston, and New York, and of his transformation in prison, from being a hustler and a burglar, to becoming ELijah Muhammad's most prominent Muslim. From there you go on to see Malcolm's growth as a person when he travels to Mecca and throughout the African and Middle Eastern Continent. This book is a must read for all people because Malcolm message is meant for every person, regardless of race, nation, or creed.
"I am not a racist. I am against every form of racism and segregation, every form of discrimination. I believe in human beings, and that all human beings should be respected as such, regardless of their color."
Malcolm X.

I read this book years ago & sill reread captions of it from time to time. When I first started, it was difficult to put down, I couldn't wait to hear what happened next! The absolute best book & autobiography I've ever read in my life!!! An enlightening look into the life of the most brilliant, progressive, strong, influential & misunderstood leader the world has ever seen! Did more for the human rights revolution than any other African-American in history! A must read for all cultures, should be mandatory reading in schools. Paints vividly the hopelessness, despair & pain of poverty & living in the ghetto as an African-American in the wealthiest nation on earth & how one can remake themselves just by 1 idea, thought or decision! Also, reveals a glimmer of truth about Elijah Muhammad & his motives. (there are other sources that go into more detail specifically concerning that)Portrays how 1 man's tireless & selfless efforts to liberate & educate a nation & then have some of the very people he's helping abandon, betray & ultimately kill him. Put this true story of the evolution of a revolutonary and the american dream on your To DO list & get it now!

Growing Up X ............................................................ Ilyasah Shabazz

Ilyasah Shabazz's life and legacy of her famous father Malcolm X, and the untimely death of her mother, Betty has been well documented in the media and beyond. Embarking on her first book tour great pains has been initiated and exerted to serve notice that the book, Growing Up X is a personal memoir, and not about Malcolm or her mother. The book rather, is an easy read, which flows with reflections on the burdens and confusing circumstances that often befall the children of famous people. Usually a normal life is all that's wanted, and in this case the author tries to give credence to such an upbringing. Fittingly to the aforementioned, she directs the book toward the exemplary job her mother adhered to in raising six daughters after being ostracized by a community (Mt. Vernon, NY) devoid of compassion and ignorant of facts. The effect of this and other maladies associated with being in the shadow of history's long arm brings this memoir close to the author's heart. Throughout, she shares her personal belief how her father was misunderstood in America, and that this misunderstanding made it difficult to lessen preconceived ill seated notions about the Nation Of Islam, its intent, and the impact it had on Malcolm's philosophical profile.
In giving her personal thoughts one would want to get the feeling that she felt readily felt the anguish associated with betrayal at the hands of those so close to him. and knew first hand the pain he must have felt. In doing so, she evidenced these analogies by describing his driving commitment and his tremendous need to be a beacon for a better life for his people. Inasmuch as she tries to downplay the larger than life presence of his persona, she valiantly gets a passing mark for realizing that her father's bailiwick was inescapable. The fact that the author gave us her own voice and vision dealing with growing pains says a lot here. And this is a view seldom seen in the windows of such a celebrated family.

What additional insights are allowed those on the outside looking in to be able to see a different perspective? To answer this question, Ilyasah Shabazz draws upon the one thing that make this book not only an enjoyable read, but one that exude compassion and respect growing up in a maternal-dominated household where the teachings of an icon wasn't forgotten. To help this along, the warmth and reminiscences of friends, colleagues, and acquaintances give weight to their personal involvement and experiences in supporting them through the months following her father's death. Because who Malcolm and Betty were, this book has all the rudiments of an unfinished story, which begs to be told comprehensively in a way for the picture to offer insights never told before...but also in ways to report the familial relationship between her parents. Perhaps this would be more fact than fiction, as the author has intimated working on such an offering. Not to take anything from the author, the real legacy that she and other members of the family has to continue upholding is sustaining family values, persevering beyond media scrutiny, and visualizing a unified purpose. Listening to Ilyasah's bent on it, she's not far from my assessment.

She states: "My mission now is to preserve the legacy of my parents, and to help nurture my nephews, nieces, and my sisters to be loving as possible as we can to continue our parents' work". For those who'd want to measure the psychological and societal ramifications of their burdens, read this book and feel the awe as I did seeing things from the author's perspective growing up indeed, Xcellent!

I have always wondered about the life of Dr. Betty Shabazz and her daughters after the death of Malcolm X. And now I know Ilyasah's story...or some of it. I respect Dr. Shabazz and the way she raised her children. Growing up in this society is difficult. I can not imagine how she took on the task of explaining why their father could not come home or how to explain the impact he had on the entire country. Dr. Shabazz raised her girls as queens. Unfortuneately many of us had to learn those lessons later. Ilyasah couragously gave readers a glimps into the lives of the Shabazz family and a little of her growing pains. She learned from her sister Attallah that she was already that daughter of Malcolm X, she did not have to prove anything to anyone. She had to find her own self.

I recently attended a book signing and Ilyasah was humble, warm, friendly, beautiful and then some. I loved the way she chatted with my 6 year old, who attended the signing with me. I have, in the same way that Dr. Shabazz started to teach him of his origins and his greatness. She also pointed out simple things about her parents that I never thought of. I loved that way the story started with her father's death and ended with her mother's death. I cried from beginning to end. I am also glad that she did not go into detail about her nephew...(some things should stay within the family).

Thank you Ilyasah for sharing a little of your life's story with us.

Peace and Blessings!!

Ms. Shabazz, has written a wonderful and insightful book into her personal life as the daughter Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz. When I thought of Malcolm Xs' daughters it never came to my mind that they were so normal and everyday type of people. In my mind and in the mind of many others thought that these ladies would be very radical and militant. Yes the daughters of Dr. Shabazz had their advantages in life, but they had their disadvantages also. Ilyasah, spoke about how their mother protected them from so many things such as racism, people's conceptual ideals of their late father, but she also kept "daddy" alive in their memory as a person. There were so many postive things that Dr. Shabazz did for her daughters especially in the area of their education, because as a parent she wanted the best she could possibly provide for her children. All I have to say is that is book had me find a higher level of respect for Dr. Betty Shabazz whom basically did it all for daughters after the death of her husband.