The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X
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- Author：Les Payne
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Summary
Les Payne， the renowned Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative journalist， embarked in 1990 on a nearly thirty-year-long quest to create an unprecedented portrait of Malcolm X， one that would separate fact from fiction。 The result is this historic， National Book Award–winning biography， which interweaves previously unknown details of Malcolm X’s life—from harrowing Depression-era vignettes to a moment-by-moment retelling of the 1965 assassination—into an extraordinary account that contextualizes Malcolm X’s life against the wider currents of American history。 Bookended by essays from Tamara Payne， Payne’s daughter and primary researcher， who heroically completed the biography after her father’s death in 2018， The Dead Are Arising affirms the centrality of Malcolm X to the African American freedom struggle。
Reviews
Marjorie
，
Great read…lots of new information…at least to me
Rana
，
wonderful book。 It is not only the biography of Malcolm X， but also a glimpse at racism in US。 Malcolm X was able to create awareness about the racism in his followers and other people， just like Martin Luther King even though the two men had completely different approach。 It is so sad that both Malcolm and King were assassinated and hardly any other leader has been able to fill their space in the past 50 years。
Sandy Goldstein
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This book is great on its own， but when read in tandem with Malcolm Xs autobiography it really emphasizes how much care and detail is present in this book。 Amazing
David Campbell
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Late Newsday editor， six-time （six-time！） winner of the Pulitzer Prizes for Investigative Journalism， and founding member of the National Association of Black Journalists Mr。 Les Payne and his daughter Tamara's utterly flawless 2020 winner of the National Book Awards for Nonfiction capturing the mental， physical， and spiritual complexities and complexion of mid-20th century African-American human rights activist Malcolm X。 Spending nearly thirty years of old-school beat journalism pouring over s Late Newsday editor， six-time （six-time！） winner of the Pulitzer Prizes for Investigative Journalism， and founding member of the National Association of Black Journalists Mr。 Les Payne and his daughter Tamara's utterly flawless 2020 winner of the National Book Awards for Nonfiction capturing the mental， physical， and spiritual complexities and complexion of mid-20th century African-American human rights activist Malcolm X。 Spending nearly thirty years of old-school beat journalism pouring over source documents and interviewing family and acquaintances， Mr。 Payne and his daughter deliver the newest generational encounter with Malcolm X less as a person who "awakened" from a life of petty street crime to moral and civic excellence， and more as a man who "returned" to the Pan-African self-improvement ideologies of early 20th century Jamaican political activist Marcus Garvey， ideologies that both of Malcolm's parents openly subscribed to and practiced in his childhood home。 Malcolm X's conversion to Islam was sincere， per Payne， but his mid-life association with the Nation of Islam as an organization was， also per Payne， more searching for a surrogate father than even Malcolm's formidable intellect was capable of understanding。 Freudian analysis aside， the text rings with the sound of newsroom typewriters， notepads， and no-nonsense journalism， and Malcolm's often obscured humanity， inner frailties， emerge as his strongest assets。 。。。more
Jessica
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Completely sobering and fascinating; a book that took Payne avoid 30 years， and wasn’t even able to complete before his own death。 I was really struck by the beginning of the book with the detail given to his often tragic and confusing childhood。 I knew nothing of the origins of the NOI！ It was also so sad to read how many people， many in our own government， wanted Malcolm dead。 I think I had some knowledge of this before， but the step-by-step accounts of the afternoon in Newark were shocking no Completely sobering and fascinating; a book that took Payne avoid 30 years， and wasn’t even able to complete before his own death。 I was really struck by the beginning of the book with the detail given to his often tragic and confusing childhood。 I knew nothing of the origins of the NOI！ It was also so sad to read how many people， many in our own government， wanted Malcolm dead。 I think I had some knowledge of this before， but the step-by-step accounts of the afternoon in Newark were shocking nonetheless。 （I’m also glad I listened to the appendix， which gave a really interesting account of Malcolm’s feelings before his death—I think you also get a very clear sense that he knew it was coming soon）。 。。。more
Patricia
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I dreaded reading this for EPIC book club only to discover I found it very readable and engaging。 The authors have done a lot of research， and I love hearing the stories of how he became Malcolm X and to hear his beliefs in his own words。 He was a life-changer for many， and an international influence。
Andrew Epperson
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I’d considered buying this book several times at Barnes & Noble， but it was a no-brainer when the Libby app added it。 Unsurprisingly， the author and her father tag-teamed to craft a beautiful biography about one of the 20th century’s interesting people。 I learned a lot about Malcolm X that wasn’t laid out in his autobiography， a book I also thoroughly enjoyed。 His uncomfortable meeting with KKK was new， and its implications on his NOI doubts made it significant。 The identification of the three I’d considered buying this book several times at Barnes & Noble， but it was a no-brainer when the Libby app added it。 Unsurprisingly， the author and her father tag-teamed to craft a beautiful biography about one of the 20th century’s interesting people。 I learned a lot about Malcolm X that wasn’t laid out in his autobiography， a book I also thoroughly enjoyed。 His uncomfortable meeting with KKK was new， and its implications on his NOI doubts made it significant。 The identification of the three gunmen who ultimately killed him was clear and well-sourced， and despite two of them never serving time， simply knowing is big for Americans。 Evidence that the FBI and police wanted him dead was damning and should be further explored in how agencies operate today。 Fantastic book！ 。。。more
SadieReadsAgain
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This book is a marathon， it's not a sprint - it includes nearly 30 years of research and it's as extensive as those 30 years would imply。 It takes us from Malcolm X's childhood， into his young adulthood and the time that he spent in prison， to then joining and rising in the ranks of the Nation of Islam， and then finally to his expulsion from that sect and his eventual assassination。 This is the complete story of one of the most prominent figures in the Black rights movement。I'll be honest - and This book is a marathon， it's not a sprint - it includes nearly 30 years of research and it's as extensive as those 30 years would imply。 It takes us from Malcolm X's childhood， into his young adulthood and the time that he spent in prison， to then joining and rising in the ranks of the Nation of Islam， and then finally to his expulsion from that sect and his eventual assassination。 This is the complete story of one of the most prominent figures in the Black rights movement。I'll be honest - and maybe this is just a product of me being a white person who has lived outside of the US for my whole life - but I have not been particularly familiar with Malcolm X beyond his radical reputation and the fact he was assassinated。 I'm far more familiar with Martin Luther King and his non-violent civil rights approach， but even then it's probably not particularly extensive。 We didn't learn a lot about it at school。 So I was interested to understand this other figurehead， Malcolm X， and what it is that made him such a polarising name。 Thanks to this book， I now know more than I ever thought I would。There's a lot of evident factual research in this biography， but there's also a range of voices from the people who were closest to Malcolm across his life。 And not always necessarily the people that just liked him， and so whilst there is a bias towards shining a favourable light on him I think the authors have done well to point out his less than stellar behaviour。 They do allow a bit of space for the reader to make up their own mind。 Which I appreciated because in truth there was actually a lot about Malcolm that I didn't like from what I read， though I appreciated why he thought the way he did， whether that was because of early life experiences， historical and generational trauma， or the the cult-like doctrine that he was unquestionably loyal to in the Nation of Islam。 However， what I learned was that at the time of his assassination it was clear that Malcolm was undergoing a shift in his perspective， which I really do think would have led him to being at least one of the most important leaders for racial and other equalities we would have ever seen。 His death is devastating， because in that context it's a loss for the whole world。。。whilst also being a bit of a coup for those who even still today persist in their quite vicious attempts to keep the power in the hands of the white， straight man。 I did think this book focused more on Malcolm's early life than his impact as the man he became， and it could feel a bit repetitive at times。 Also， although there are quotes and letters from Malcolm， they were quite sparse in the narrative and I think I would have enjoyed hearing more of Malcolm X's voice in this book。 But on the whole I did think it was quite well presented and strove for a level of balance。 It was a pretty accessible read， despite its length， and I'm very glad I read it。 。。。more
Donald
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A great read。 I've read other books about Malcolm X。 This one is the best。 Thirty well researched years historically through Malcolm's life and assassination。 A great read。 I've read other books about Malcolm X。 This one is the best。 Thirty well researched years historically through Malcolm's life and assassination。 。。。more
Tyler Talley
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Incredibly well-researched and a fantastic companion piece to the civil rights leader’s autobiography， with many sources who knew him personally。 My only nitpick is it is very top heavy， focusing a lot on Malcolm’s early life。
Noah Sanders
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Full of interesting tidbits， but this post-humously released biography of Malcolm X doesn’t feel complete （or edited）。 There’s a good picture of the man painted here， just feels like it got released before someone put it in a frame。
Joann
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There can’t be many facts about Malcolm X which have not been accounted for in this biography。 As a result， I felt the author got bogged down in minutiae and repeated himself。 Still， credit for thorough research。 I am sorry Payne did not live to see his efforts in print。
Debbie
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Having read Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention by Manning Marable， the winner of the 2012 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for History， I was not keen to read yet another biography of this famed and infamous Black American leader。 It did not take long for me to change my mind that， regardless of the scope and quality of Marabel's work， The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X has both a unique prespective to bring and important aspects of Malcolm X's life to bring to light。 Les Payne most certainly Having read Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention by Manning Marable， the winner of the 2012 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for History， I was not keen to read yet another biography of this famed and infamous Black American leader。 It did not take long for me to change my mind that， regardless of the scope and quality of Marabel's work， The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X has both a unique prespective to bring and important aspects of Malcolm X's life to bring to light。 Les Payne most certainly deserves the Pulitzer Prize for his work。 More than simply another biography of Malcolm X， this work seems to focus even more on this revolutionary as a political and religious leader with greater emphasis on his political life。 It clarifies well Malcolm X's migration from hater of whites as white devils to recognition that not all whites are evil but the system in which they live teaches them to be evil。 I was intrigued by his clarification that the problem really is the extreme capitalism of the United States -- that capitalism teaches racism。 He stated that those whites he came to know in the US who were not racist tended to mostly be Socialists。 I thought that was an interesting perspective。 What I liked most in this book was the ending letter of Malcolm X to the， I believe， Belgium Muslim group who sent him a series of questions to answer regarding his perspectives as a Muslim。 （This is the downside of audio books， you can't easily go back and verify information。） He finished answering those question the morning he was killed。 What better statement can there be of the true beliefs of Malcolm X than those stated in writing near the very end of his remarkable life。 I remember Malcolm X。 I remember being afraid of what he taught because it taught hate。 But I never heard any of the ameliorating things he said later in life because that was not the narrative the White establishment taught。 My best friend married a black man。 She also feared Malcolm X， believing him a bad man。 I have spent my lifetime battling the racism I see in myself。 That struggle continues today。 I have read much and seen much and I try hard to keep a more even perspective。 I do not think I am diminished by seeing and admitting I have been and am racist。 What is important is that， being aware and willing to admit it， I can take steps to correct myself。 Still it continues to unexpectedly surface。 Getting my yard cleaned up， I found myself shocked of the words that popped into my mind， words my mother had often said， 'Well lookee here， looks like White folks live here。' DAMN！ So the fight against my personal racism goes on。 Oh， and， yes， my political leanings are Socialist。 。。。more
Rachel
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Some areas felt unnecessarily thorough but overall it was an interesting look into his life and legacy。
Randall Wallace
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Malcolm X’s father sometimes would go hear Marcus Garvey talk。 As a kid， future actor Henry Fonda witnessed the lynching of Will Brown in Omaha。 That lynching was probably caused by white men in blackface assaulting white women。 The Ku Klux Klan had a membership of 3，000，000 and included two governors and “hundreds of thousands of women。” Woodrow Wilson said， “segregation is not humiliating but a benefit。” Fire Departments （like Lansing Michigan） would refuse back then to respond if a colored pe Malcolm X’s father sometimes would go hear Marcus Garvey talk。 As a kid， future actor Henry Fonda witnessed the lynching of Will Brown in Omaha。 That lynching was probably caused by white men in blackface assaulting white women。 The Ku Klux Klan had a membership of 3，000，000 and included two governors and “hundreds of thousands of women。” Woodrow Wilson said， “segregation is not humiliating but a benefit。” Fire Departments （like Lansing Michigan） would refuse back then to respond if a colored person’s house was on fire。 Slave reparations are logically about the unpaid bill for “some 250-plus years of uncompensated labor”。 Malcolm’s family refused to adopt racism’s imposed black inferiority complex。 Malcolm’s childhood trauma was the nighttime incineration of his parent’s home and the nighttime death of his father on the streetcar tracks。 His mom taught him “staunch adherence to black independence and self-reliance” and to challenge anyone who had a low expectation of him。 In Lansing， Malcolm smoked and sold pot。 “He smoked pot every day。 He was his best customer。” His favorite Billie Holiday tune was “All of Me”。 In 1910， central Harlem was only 9。89 percent black。 Malcolm in Harlem at age 18， “sold reefer like a wild man。 I scarcely slept。” Malcolm thought his dishwasher friend was the funniest person on earth: that dishwasher later became Redd Foxx。 Benjamin O。 Davis the first black to graduate from West Point was treated like s--- at West Point by all white classmates including two future generals: Westmoreland and Abrams。 Malcolm gets out of the Draft with a funny performance appearing militant and deranged。 But he ends up in jail which turns him from an extrovert into an introvert。 He became interested in weaponizing the spoken word。 In prison he was influenced by fellow inmate Bembry’s knowledge gained from serious reading in the library。 Malcolm started reading everything from Shakespeare to Aesop’s Fables。 He studied Latin。 He joined a debate team。 He read “How to Win Friends and Influence People” and became an expert on its techniques。 Islam enters his life: Major Islamic sects thought the teachings of Nation of Islam committed libel against the actual Muhammad。 The founder of the Black Muslims （Fard Muhammad） was not only a convicted felon but was a white man。 Malcolm now had debating skills and was clearly engaging， charismatic， getting hired nationwide to speak on college campuses。 Elijah Muhammad drove potential converts away as a speaker by being inarticulate and talking of a mythical Yacub， the Mother Ship （and he clearly wasn’t talking about George Clinton’s funky Mothership） ， and Fard somehow being Allah。 Malcolm was one of Fidel Castro’s first visitors when he went to Harlem。 It is said he told Castro to stay in Harlem。 Malcolm adopts his leader’s habit of wearing a hat outside。 The FBI begins targeting Malcolm and asking anyone around him questions about him。 The thought of a black man talking publicly about resisting racism instead of taking it， had horrified the agency into action。 Emmet Till was thrown in in the Tallahatchie River with a seventy-five pound fan from a cotton gin wrapped around his neck with barbed wire。 His accuser later recanted。 The US had a nationwide two-tiered system for housing depending on one’s color。 Back then， Malcolm was spewing Elijah’s solution that blacks had to separate from white folk。 Then he was saying MLK’s non-violent stance was “cowardice pure and simple。” I’m sure the FBI loved hearing that。 The FBI loved the idea of any fissure between Malcolm and Elijah。 The FBI bugged all their phones。 Malcolm quotes: “Who taught you to hate the race you belong to？” “They don’t like niggers wearing sunglasses down here。 They want to see your eyeballs。 They think you might be sneaking a look at some white women。” “It is anybody’s guess which of the “extremes” in the approach to the black man’s problem might personally meet a fatal catastrophe first – non-violent Dr。 King or so-called violent me。”“As late as 1963， thirty-three states still outlawed marriage between the races。” Malcolm said， for hundreds of years no one talks about the white man getting with a black woman， they only talk about the black man with a white woman。” Malcolm’s rise with the Muslims made white liberals go more for Dr。 King’s message。 Malcolm noticed and mentioned that 99% of US newspapers had not one black reporter on staff。 King had middle class upbringing and a good education unlike Malcolm whose rage was on the surface。 Most blacks could understand both Malcolm and MLK’s messages。 A Senate committee found 25 clear cases where the FBI had harassed King with no justification。 J。 Edgar Hoover， when he wasn’t dressing in women’s clothing， also had a dream （like MLK）; Hoover seriously dreamed of getting a Noble Peace Prize。 Why he felt he deserved a prize， and not a prison sentence with a large bunkmate named Tiny， he never explained。 This is when an FBI letter to King suggested he commit suicide。 This book doesn’t mention Bayard Rustin’s influence on making King non-violent。 King’s crusade was partly motivated by the time he was personally forced to give his bus seat up to whites。 Malcolm was a reader of John Henrik Clarke。 Malcolm keeps hearing stories about Elijah that makes him see that he’s trusting in a lying hypocrite who -horror of horrors- was not actually a God; this will lead to a split。 Apparently， Elijah freely banging his secretaries and getting a number of them pregnant wasn’t a written Nation rule。 Elijah’s response to being outed for clear moral reasons， was now he and his cronies wanted Malcolm dead。 A true Muslim says to Malcolm that banning all whites is anti-Islamic。 Malcolm leaves the Nation and， beckoned by true Muslims takes his hajj in Mecca。 The trip helps him see that some whites like John Brown and Quakers， indeed helped direct moral attention to the cause of black freedom。 Malcolm now felt that whites are not evil by themselves but US racist society makes them that way。 He started to see that some revolutionaries could be white and still fighting for the same cause as he did。 This made him think that Capitalism was the problem; Capitalism creating racism。 John Lewis talked to him then and said he was very hopeful that all colors could come together。 He realized that going forward， women had to play a larger role in the struggle and must be supported。 This meant Muslim leaders had to empower women to move forward。 Around this time Malcolm， like Fred Hampton， began to think he was going to be killed。 He had every reason to think this。 A Malcolm X no longer talking about violence but about working with whitey and somewhat King style was probably getting the FBI to foam at the mouth。 The US does almost everything by using the threat of violence and these two Black men are showing the populace how you can easily unite the world without violence？ And look good while you are doing it？ Now， thanks to unexamined jealousy within the Nation of Islam， and constant FBI and police surveillance， Malcolm X’s days are numbered。 MLK connects the dots on what the real battle is going forward （Capitalism， Militarism and Racism）， and dies。 Malcolm connects the same dots on what the real battle is， and dies。 Same thing with Fred Hampton。 It’s hard to see a pattern。 We are all taught as kids to connect the dots in art class， but our teachers never told us， “By the way， if you continue this fun game of seriously connecting the dots as an adult， you may be killed for it”。 Perhaps our teachers just didn’t want a class of crying children。 Failed attempts at killing Malcolm became frequent。 His house is firebombed。 Funny to read all these so-called religious people （pseudo-Muslims） calling for Malcolm to be killed。 Malcolm ends up assassinated （age 39）。 Funny that James Shabazz， a higher-up in the Nation of Islam a few weeks before Malcolm’s death said， “it will be a good time to kill that hypocrite。” James Shabazz was defending obvious hypocrite Elijah by calling Malcolm instead a hypocrite。 Ah， the joys of projection。 Good book。 。。。more
Matt
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3。5
Cynthia Marcus
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An interesting and well written biography about an important figure in the Civil Rights Movement。
Pablo
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An absolute masterpiece of investigative journalism。 There is fire in Payne's writing， yet balance， clarity， and honesty。 An absolute masterpiece of investigative journalism。 There is fire in Payne's writing， yet balance， clarity， and honesty。 。。。more
SteveM_OD
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Content of book and research was impressive， superfluous editorial comments by the author regarding Christianity I personally found offensive。 They were a small part of the book， but in no way contributed to the central theme and should have been edited out。
Erwinpantel
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Outstanding ResearchSuch a well researched book， that does an outstanding job of telling Malcolm’s story。 I would highly recommend this book。
Shalisha
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It's taken me almost 2 months but I FINALLY finished this book and I give it a 10/10！ 😃 #lespayne was a brilliant journalist。 Much love to his daughter #tamarapayne for continuing the book after her father's death。 Everything I already knew he went into greater detail and gave me some inside knowledge on things I had no idea about。 Of all the documentaries I've watched never have they gone into how brother Malcolm came to understand， study and love the REAL Islam， what happened in the hall aft It's taken me almost 2 months but I FINALLY finished this book and I give it a 10/10！ 😃 #lespayne was a brilliant journalist。 Much love to his daughter #tamarapayne for continuing the book after her father's death。 Everything I already knew he went into greater detail and gave me some inside knowledge on things I had no idea about。 Of all the documentaries I've watched never have they gone into how brother Malcolm came to understand， study and love the REAL Islam， what happened in the hall after he was gunned down， and what happened at the NOI headquarters after they completed their 'mission' of assassinating Malcolm （They planned but Allah is the best of planners） I tell you the last chapter entitled "the hit" had me lit-er-ally crying and the chapter entitled "back at the mosque" had me raging 🤬 Even down to the Appendix in the last few pages had me learning something new directly from Malcolm himself From a young girl this is the first stranger that I love as if he was part of my family。 May Allah grant him the highest station in paradise， I hope I make it there so I can show him some love in person ameen。 🖤 。。。more
David Gateley
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I will never forget this book。
Vincent Masson
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Incredible in it's scope， objectivity， details， and writing。 Spike Lee's 1992 Biopic is a great film - perhaps one of the best films of 90's - but I couldn't help but feel like we need a new， fresher take on Malcolm X。 The story that Les and Tamara Payne tell here proves that there's still a great deal more drama， more insight， and more details about Malcolm X that have yet to be discussed， dramatized， or revealed。 Incredible in it's scope， objectivity， details， and writing。 Spike Lee's 1992 Biopic is a great film - perhaps one of the best films of 90's - but I couldn't help but feel like we need a new， fresher take on Malcolm X。 The story that Les and Tamara Payne tell here proves that there's still a great deal more drama， more insight， and more details about Malcolm X that have yet to be discussed， dramatized， or revealed。 。。。more
Lisa
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This book was well researched and informative but the writing felt uneven to me， with some unnecessary redundancies and some phrasing that was pretty amateurish。 There were also some noticeable omissions。 For example， Louis Farrakhan is described as “the once proud and presumed loyal protégé of Malcolm X” but that isn’t until page 504。 By that point in the book Malcolm has been assassinated so we never learn about this presumably close relationship。 Betty Shabazz is also conspicuously absent; th This book was well researched and informative but the writing felt uneven to me， with some unnecessary redundancies and some phrasing that was pretty amateurish。 There were also some noticeable omissions。 For example， Louis Farrakhan is described as “the once proud and presumed loyal protégé of Malcolm X” but that isn’t until page 504。 By that point in the book Malcolm has been assassinated so we never learn about this presumably close relationship。 Betty Shabazz is also conspicuously absent; the few mentions of her are in reference to her pregnancies， presence at her husband’s death， and one Nation of Islam minister’s petty annoyance with her。 。。。more
Bdalton
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I loved the journalist quality of this book - people who knew Malcolm X providing their accounts of both key events and mundane moments in his life。 These accounts provide a full and compassionate picture of a human being who happens to also be a famous， controversial figure。 Readers learn that Malcolm X had activist parents who had their lives threatened by the KKK and others as they sought to live freely。 Malcolm’s ideas of race， politics， and religion evolved over time and readers see how the I loved the journalist quality of this book - people who knew Malcolm X providing their accounts of both key events and mundane moments in his life。 These accounts provide a full and compassionate picture of a human being who happens to also be a famous， controversial figure。 Readers learn that Malcolm X had activist parents who had their lives threatened by the KKK and others as they sought to live freely。 Malcolm’s ideas of race， politics， and religion evolved over time and readers see how the evolution of his character， his independent thought process， and his life history led to changes in his teachings and beliefs。 Known for his belief that blacks and whites could not co-exist in harmony， his thoughts changed to be that of a true Muslim， that all humans are equal in the eyes of God。 I finished this book around the time that two men， Muhammad Abdul Aziz and Khalil Islam， were exonerated of the killing of Malcolm X， in part due to the careful research in this book。 Writing is powerful and I believe that Malcolm X would have been pleased that the telling of his story righted an injustice。 For me， the book ended a bit abruptly。 I would have liked something more - perhaps additional reflections。 But， that is one of the signs of an excellent book- when it leaves you wanting more。 。。。more
Traci Thomas
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This is a majorly researched feat。 The whole thing is incredible。 It starts a little slow but the back half is incredible。 I actually got weepy leading up to the assassination。 It’s a wow。
LA
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I enjoyed this book a lot。 Malcolm X is one of my heroes， so reading this was a treat。 I learned a lot and enjoyed the logical presentation of information and objectivity。
David Heyer
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Fantastic
Caroline
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I wouldn't say this is "the" life of Malcolm X， as the subtitle says， but there is a lot in here that is indispensable and can't be found anywhere else。 Les Payne spent decades researching this book， and was able to find and speak to a host of people who knew Malcolm first hand - siblings， schoolmates， NOI members， friends。 The result is a rounded portrait of the man and his evolution， and a heart pounding narrative of his murder that names the gunmen as well as the leaders of the Newark temple I wouldn't say this is "the" life of Malcolm X， as the subtitle says， but there is a lot in here that is indispensable and can't be found anywhere else。 Les Payne spent decades researching this book， and was able to find and speak to a host of people who knew Malcolm first hand - siblings， schoolmates， NOI members， friends。 The result is a rounded portrait of the man and his evolution， and a heart pounding narrative of his murder that names the gunmen as well as the leaders of the Newark temple who organized the hit。 While the police and FBI did not commit the murder， they clearly stood down and aside from trying to prevent it， despite warnings from their undercover officer who was part of Malcolm's bodyguard。 Indeed they reprimanded him for trying rescue breathing on Malcolm as he lay dying。On the other hand， the one person Payne seems not to have had any interest in is Betty Shabazz。 All of a sudden Malcolm is married with four children。 I'm a little puzzled by the fact that a supposed "life" not only doesn't talk about his marriage and children at all but seems to have not even tried to talk to his wife or daughters。 I have no idea what this is about but I get the feeling Payne， like some of Malcolm's colleagues， found Betty somewhat irritating。 That's no excuse。 Irritating or not， she was the man's wife。The appendix， a transcript of Malcolm's answers to a questionnaire from the Geneva Islamic Center， which he was working on the day before he died， gives a very interesting look into his thinking。Payne's attitude toward Martin Luther King seems ambivalent。 What is one to make of a sentence like this: "As bemoaned as they were bemused， these preacher-led proletarians [marching for civil rights] endured police clubbing， high-powered water hoses， attacks by police dogs， and mass arrests in overcrowded jails。"I read this just as two of the three men convicted of the murder were released and exonerated， and as Malcolm and Betty's youngest daughter Malikah was found dead in her apartment at age 56。Since I read Manning Marable's authoritative biography I have been haunted by a moment when Malcolm told his 8th grade teacher he wanted to be a lawyer。 At that time he was achieving in school and showing his potential。 However， this teacher told him he had to be realistic， that "n----s" couldn't be lawyers so how about carpentry？ What would have happened if he had been able to turn his restless brilliance and energy for good， instead of becoming a successful petty criminal？ Just one tiny item in the mountain of racist sins this country has to answer for。To get the most out of this book， you need to already know something about the subject。 My personal recommendation is to read Marable's biography， and then Peniel Joseph's book about Malcolm and King。 。。。more
Tyler Fitt
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