The book was informative however the foward by Spike Lee was out of place. It breaks my heart that so many people profit from the life and death of Malcolm X other than his family. Although this is a good book do your self and Malcolm justice by getting this book from your public library!

Carson is a well-known Black scholar whose most important work has been organizing and opublishing from the Martin Luther King Papers. This book was an effort on his part to expose how the FBI followed Malcolm X from the time he wrote to a radical youth group for information, long before Malcolm X joined the Muslims until his death, a death Malcolm more and more expected would come from the FBI/CIA. Along the way the FBI has preserved speeches and letters and views of Malcolm as they evolved throughout his life. Anyone who treats Malcolm X as some sort of prefabricated god, and not a man whose views developed over time, over experience, and particularly after his exposure to the struggles of the civil rights movement, and the anti-imperialist struggles ongoing in Cuba, Africa, and Vietnam at the time, is in for a rude shock as this book shows how his ideas changed and grew.
I recommend Pathfinder Press's series of books by Malcolm X. Malcolm selected Pathfinder to publish his speeches before he died. The first book Malcolm X speaks was selected while Malcolm was living, though published after he was murdered. Every book has been published in cooperation and with royalties to Malcolm's family. Pathfinder has gone as far as the jungles of Guyana to find every speech or interview available with Malcolm particularly in the last years of his life.

Contrary to Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm X has won more than his due share of attention. But he gained renown mostly for reasons having to do with his personal odyssey from petty thief to political figure of international stature, his black nationalism, and his scintillating rhetoric-not because he was a key figure in the growth of Islam in the United States. DeCaro fills this gap with an intelligent focus on his "religious life." Like Clegg, he relies on extensive research of primary documents; he finds much that is new about the man he terms a "religiously driven revolutionist." 5 In particular, he shows where Malcolm X's famous Autobiography is either lacking important information or slanted to make a point; what Malcolm X actually did during his last year (after leaving the NOI and becoming a mainstream Muslim); and the parallels in Malcolm X's dual conversion (to the NOI, to Islam). From an Islamic viewpoint, On the Side of My People is of special interest for the way DeCaro pulls apart the myth Malcolm X had propagated about having learned of mainstream Islam only on reaching Mecca in April 1964; in fact, we find out here, he had for many months, even years, been tending in that direction. Reaching Mecca for Malcolm X was less a revelation than an opportunity to come out of the religious closet.

Middl East Quarterly, December 1998

It was fantastic to read a religious biography of Malcolm X. Although DeCaro does go over Malcolm X's political activities (it would be rediculous to do otherwise!), he presents Malcolm X's life in its religious context, for example outlining the ongoing tension between the Nation and Orthodox Islam and how this affected Malcolm, whereas most biographies do the exact opposite. His book focusses primarily around Malcolms two conversions - firstly to the Nation, and the second to orthodox Islam. He also outlines the religious melting pot that Malcolm X came out of, and shows how these influences helped mold and shape him throughout his life. In doing this, he gives Malcolm a lot more religious credit than past biographers have done, and points out some probable biases in "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" (remember, in this book Malcolm originally intended to show how Elijah Muhammad had miraculously and single-handedly saved him, and therefore probably didn't give himself due credit). DeCaro goes on to explain how Malcolms second conversion was not an instantaneous transformation that occurred when he set foot in Mecca, but rather the climax of a change that had been building for some time. For me, DeCaro's book was thorough and well balanced. He didn't try to portray Malcolm as a hero or a villian or anything else, but rather just presented his life from the point of view of his 'religousness'. The book is written from DeCaros PhD dissertation, so is very well referenced, and he is careful to point out his own biases. The only qualm I had was that DeCaro did not have a huge number of interviews with people who knew Malcolm, but he admits this himself in the introduction, and he more than makes up for it with his use of other primary sources such as FBI files, prison records etc. So yeah. I loved it. Read it.

Of all Asante's work, this book (compiled in 1993 during the height of Afrocentricity's platform and Malcolm X mania) stands out as one of the more accessible and endearing tomes of his oeuvre. Despite the eye-catching title (for its time), we are treated to some excellent essays on a variety of subjects, which is a refreshing departure from much of the metathoery of his other work. One of the things that people charge Afrocentrists with is not fashioning practical positions on contemporary issues, and justifiably so in many cases. Asante deals with genocide in Africa, Malcolm X, gender and television with aplomb, heart and a solid voice.

A must for Asante fans, and a greta book for essayists, debators and peopel who love challenging, original thought.

This book does a fantastic job of painting Malcolm X in the eyes of those who knew him and were touched by him. It really gives an insight into the life of one of the most influential men in history. I loved what Maya Angelou, Eldridge Cleaver, and Robert Penn Warren had to say. Other highlights are the interview with Claude Lewis, Malcolm's last TV interview with Pierre Barton, and On The Air with Joe Rainey, in which Malcolm discusses his split with Muhammad. It was secretely recorded by the FBI.

Of course Alex Haley's "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" is a must read as well!

This book has it's moments, such as "God's Judgement for White America" which speaks of divine revenge for the crimes against Black Americans, but too much of this reflects the period when Malcolm was parroting (his own admission) the cuckoo-patch teachings of Elijah Muhammad for the benefit of the ignorant. "The Black Man's History" is filled with utter madness about Blakc mad scientists creating White people, ad nauseum. Good only for historical purposes. Read the real, sensible stuff from when Malcolm had the sense to cut loose from Elijah's mess, such as "Malcolm X Speaks,' "By Any Means Necessary" etc.

I first started teaching myself about Malcolm X when I was only in 6th grade, but I was only really concerned with his life story and not his ideas. The books I had read up through high school never gave any extra insight either (and I owned 10 at the time). I first read this book in the fall of '95, finding it by accident when I was going through the books by Malcolm my freshman year at Montana State U. This book is terrific! I had always been an admirer of Malcolm, but without the insight and this book gave it. My favorite speech is "The Black Man's History", truly a masterpiece. There are some ideas that don't quite pan out, but these speeches came during the time he was still with the Nation of Islam and a follower of Elijah Muhammed. This book gives terrific insight into his ideas early on. It is well worth the money to buy this book!

This is a decent read, though not too learn anything about Malcolm x. It was written while Elijah Muhammad was still alive, so some of the seedier details of the story of their split are left out, probably out of a fear of villifying the NOI. The script that was eventually used for Spike Lee's film is an improvement, both dramatically and historically. Clearly, though, Baldwin deserved some credit in the film, as there were passages of dialogue and story elements that remain. He actually has credit in the film, but not on the promo work on the tape cover. All things told, I'd only recommend it to Baldwin and Malcolm X completists.

the beginning was powerful when he reveiwed his childhood. his speeches were a bit biased, but they told a good story about life. What is life? Is life, life? Are we life? Does the cookbook give the proper recipe for twice baked potatoes? Loving is Life. Malcolm X had trouble finding this realization, but his message was bold, powerful, and worth reading about. Cheese is good. Beef, it's what's for dinner.

This essentially contains the speech that Elijah Muhammad made after Malcolm X's assassination. Mostly for the faithful who still followed Elijah Muhammad as opposed to Malcolm. To fully put this into context, one must have some familiarity with the events surrounding Malcolm's death. As with most of Elijah Muhammad's writngs and/or speeches, it's not likely to appeal to those who do not consider themselves admireres or followers of his. Not likely to win any new converts.

This was an excellent book, even for a reader that does not have any formerly gained knowledge of the life and career of Malcolm X.

This book wasn't very good, but it wasn't horrible. It could have been MUCH better and it is much better than some of the other Black American Series.

This book is alright I suppose as a work that tries to spread the positive aspects of the Black Muslim/Al-Islam message. I cannot really say whether this book is compelling as a pro-Muslim work. And I am not going to even mention the political controversies surrounding many of the events and people that El-Amin writes about. However, I can say that the book is rather flawed from more than one aspect.
First, the overall writing quality is poor, to say the least. It seems like the book is totally unedited. Now, I have nothing against a "basement production" kind of book, but El-Amin sinks to such a poor level of writing that his points become obscured.
Organization also appears to be nonexistant - or if it exists, it is in a way I do not really understand. The book basically goes through the topics of Islam that the author finds interesting on a point-by-point basis. It is hard to find any central ideas, other than the pro Al-Islam message. Often El-Amin states his opinion regarding something without providing the background information so that someone not intimately familiar with the Al-Islam movement would even know what the issue is. This really undermines the usefulness of the book.
Finally, the book has a rather ...-like tone. This shows when El-Amin presents information as if it is an undisputed factual event, and does not discuss or describe the event in any sort of meaningful detail. Ultimately, many of the events that he mentions - but NOT discusses - are not at all at the level of "accepted facts." An example of this would be El-Amin's breif treatment of what happened to the Nation of Islam after Elijah Mohammad's death in 1975. El-Amin is quick to say that basically all of the members of the Black Muslim movement consolidated under Wallace Deen, Elijah Mohammad's son. However this is far from fact - and it would have been much more interesting to hear a less simplistic account of the post-1975 Nation of Islam than El-Amin seemed ready to provide.
Overall, this book is not really useful as either a scholarly work or as a popular introduction to Al-Islam.

Afrocentricity: Malcolm X and Al-Islam by Mustafa Al-Amin, focus on Malcolm's journey to the Islamic tradition. Malcolm's journey to Al-Islam began when he was recruited into the Nation of Islam, under the leadership of Elijiah Muhammed. Malcolm was in prision when he learned about the religion of Islam. His brother lectured him about the religion, and Elijiah Muhammed.

It didnot take Malcolm long to gain the trust of his teacher. Mr Muhammed gave Malcolm the okay to open new Temples all over the country. Elijiah Muhammed promoted Malcolm to a Minister position in New York, in addition to be named the first National Represenative of Elijiah Muhammed and the NOI.

A scandle, a jealous intercircle and the insecurities of Mr. Muhammed forced Malcolm X out of the Nation. Although he (Mr. Muhammed) claimed that he was going to suspend Malcolm X because of what he said regarding the death of John F. Kennedy; it was just the thing he needed to rid himself of his greatest student. Elijiah Muhammed was told by his intercircle of advisiors that Malcolm was trying to takeover the Nation. When Malcolm interviewed some of the women whith whom had romances with is leader Malcolm discovered that Elijiah was jealous of him. "He loves you brother Malcolm" one of the women told him. Then sshe said that he (Elijiah Muhammed) thought that he would betray him. When Malcolm's suspention passed the ninety day period, it accurred to him that he was forced out.

When Malcolm X was dismissed from the NOI he launged his own organizations. The programs he designed were the Muslim Mosque INC. and the Organization of Afro-American Unity. Some of the members of the Nation of Islam parted with Malcolm, and left a bitter, angry, hostile, and deadly atmosphere that lead to Malcolm's death on Febuary 21, 1965.

Although his life was short lived Malcolm X did discover the real beauty of Al-Islam. Short after breaking from Mr. Muhammed Malcolm went to Mecca. Malcolm's was amazed by the spirt of universal Islamic brother that he felt in the holy city. In a letter to his wife and followers Malcolm said " I have eaten from the same plate, and dranked from the same cut from men who's eye's where blue as the sky, and we are all the same. He felt that Islamic teachings can destroy the cancer of White superiority, and Black inferiority from all people.

Malcolm was and still is a grat Afro-American Icon. His love for his Family, his faih, and Black people have lead us to insire to be just like him. Some said that he was a head of his time but perhaps we were the ones who were late.

Malcolm's committment to Al-Islam lead him to greater spirtual hights.