httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S2PQUpQqdw

“Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention” by Manning Marable, the late Director, of the Malcolm X Project at Columbia University

Why you should read this book, April 12, 2011

Whether you’re just getting to know this giant and enigmatic figure of the civil rights “movement” – or in Malcolm’s case revolution – or you were on the street in the day, Manning Marable’s biography is worth your valuable time. In addition to being a wide and deep examination of how Malcolm Little became Malcolm X and how Malcom X became a universal advocate for the oppressed, especially of African heritage, Marable fills in gaps with his singular access to records and sources, as well as his sustained effort over a decade in producing this biography. But, perhaps most importantly, the voice that Malcolm X raised in defense of those being oppressed carries a message especially important in our time. We should listen.

Marable examines Malcolm’s life from many angles, in many contexts, which are necessary given that he manifested himself in appearances that ranged from hustler and angry voice from the ghetto to social activist and pragmatist willing to work within the American “system.” And this broad appeal largely defines Malcolm X’s appeal according to Marable: “Malcolm’s journey of reinvention was in many ways centered on his lifelong quest to discern the meaning and substance of faith. As a prisoner, he embraced an antiwhite quasi-Islamic sect that nevertheless validated his fragmented sense of humanity and ethnic identity. But as he traveled across the world…Malcolm came to adopt true Islam’s universalism, and its belief that all could find Allah’s grace regardless of race.” (p.12)

To black audiences, “what made him truly original was that he presented himself as the embodiment of the two central figures of African-American folk culture, simultaneously the hustler/trickster and the preacher/minister…the trickster is unpredictable and capable of outrageous transgressions; the minister saves souls, redeems shattered lives, and promises a new world.” I might add that I suspect this appeal is not limited to just black audiences.

Read the rest of this comment by clicking HERE

Click HERE to learn more about the Malcolm X Project at Columbia University, NY, NY