The Autobiography of Malcolm X

Malcolm X's <i>The Autobiography of Malcolm X</i> was written in collaboration with Alex Haley, author of <i>Roots</i>, and includes an introduction by Paul Gilroy, author of <i>The Black Atlantic</i>, in Penguin Modern Classics.<br> From hustling, drug addiction and armed violence in America's black ghettos Malcolm X turned, in a dramatic prison conversion, to the puritanical fervour of the Black Muslims. As their spokesman he became identified in the white press as a terrifying teacher of race hatred; but to his direct audience, the oppressed American blacks, he brought hope and self-respect. This autobiography (written with Alex Haley) reveals his quick-witted integrity, usually obscured by batteries of frenzied headlines, and the fierce idealism which led him to reject both liberal hypocrisies and black racialism.<br> Vilified by his critics as an anti-white demagogue, Malcolm X gave a voice to unheard African-Americans, bringing them pride, hope and fearlessness, and remains an inspirational and controversial figure.<br> Malcolm X (1925-65), born Malcolm Little in Omaha, and also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, lost both his parents at a young age. Leaving school early, he soon became part of Harlem's underworld, and in 1946 he was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment. It was in prison that Malcolm X converted to Islam. Paroled in 1952, he became an outspoken defender of Muslim doctrines, formed the Organization of Afro-American Unity in 1963, and had received considerable publicity by the time of his assassination in 1965.<br> If you enjoyed <i>The Autobiography of Malcolm X</i>, you might like Nelson Mandela's <i>No Easy Walk to Freedom</i>, also available in Penguin Modern Classics.<br> 'This extraordinary autobiography is a brilliant, painful, important book'<br> <i>The New York Times</i><br>