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 interview anyone he could find who had actually known Malcolm X—all living siblings of the Malcolm Little family， classmates， street friends， cellmates， Nation of Islam figures， FBI moles and cops， and political leaders around the world。 His goal was ambitious: to transform what would become over a hundred hours of interviews into an unprecedented portrait of Malcolm X， one that would separate fact from fiction。
The result is this historic biography that conjures a never-before-seen world of its protagonist， a work whose title is inspired by a phrase Malcolm X used when he saw his Hartford followers stir with purpose， as if the dead were truly arising， to overcome the obstacles of racism。 Setting Malcolm’s life not only within the Nation of Islam but against the larger backdrop of American history， the book traces the life of one of the twentieth century’s most politically relevant figures “from street criminal to devoted moralist and revolutionary。”
In tracing Malcolm X’s life from his Nebraska birth in 1925 to his Harlem assassination in 1965， Payne provides searing vignettes culled from Malcolm’s Depression-era youth， describing the influence of his Garveyite parents: his father， Earl， a circuit-riding preacher who was run over by a street car in Lansing， Michigan， in 1929， and his mother， Louise， who continued to instill black pride in her children after Earl’s death。 Filling each chapter with resonant drama， Payne follows Malcolm’s exploits as a petty criminal in Boston and Harlem in the 1930s and early 1940s to his religious awakening and conversion to the Nation of Islam in a Massachusetts penitentiary。
With a biographer’s unwavering determination， Payne corrects the historical record and delivers extraordinary revelations—from the unmasking of the mysterious NOI founder “Fard Muhammad，” who preceded Elijah Muhammad; to a hair-rising scene， conveyed in cinematic detail， of Malcolm and Minister Jeremiah X Shabazz’s 1961 clandestine meeting with the KKK; to a minute-by-minute account of Malcolm X’s murder at the Audubon Ballroom。
Introduced by Payne’s daughter and primary researcher， Tamara Payne， who， following her father’s death， heroically completed the biography， The Dead Are Arising is a penetrating and riveting work that affirms the centrality of Malcolm X to the African American freedom struggle。
The result is this historic biography that conjures a never-before-seen world of its protagonist， a work whose title is inspired by a phrase Malcolm X used when he saw his Hartford followers stir with purpose， as if the dead were truly arising， to overcome the obstacles of racism。 Setting Malcolm’s life not only within the Nation of Islam but against the larger backdrop of American history， the book traces the life of one of the twentieth century’s most politically relevant figures “from street criminal to devoted moralist and revolutionary。”
In tracing Malcolm X’s life from his Nebraska birth in 1925 to his Harlem assassination in 1965， Payne provides searing vignettes culled from Malcolm’s Depression-era youth， describing the influence of his Garveyite parents: his father， Earl， a circuit-riding preacher who was run over by a street car in Lansing， Michigan， in 1929， and his mother， Louise， who continued to instill black pride in her children after Earl’s death。 Filling each chapter with resonant drama， Payne follows Malcolm’s exploits as a petty criminal in Boston and Harlem in the 1930s and early 1940s to his religious awakening and conversion to the Nation of Islam in a Massachusetts penitentiary。
With a biographer’s unwavering determination， Payne corrects the historical record and delivers extraordinary revelations—from the unmasking of the mysterious NOI founder “Fard Muhammad，” who preceded Elijah Muhammad; to a hair-rising scene， conveyed in cinematic detail， of Malcolm and Minister Jeremiah X Shabazz’s 1961 clandestine meeting with the KKK; to a minute-by-minute account of Malcolm X’s murder at the Audubon Ballroom。
Introduced by Payne’s daughter and primary researcher， Tamara Payne， who， following her father’s death， heroically completed the biography， The Dead Are Arising is a penetrating and riveting work that affirms the centrality of Malcolm X to the African American freedom struggle。
Reviews
Brant
，
I'll remember three scenes from this book。 First， the account from the opening pages of the Klan's attack on the Little's home shortly before Malcolm was born。 Second， the conversation between Klan members and Malcolm X in Malcolm's home when the Klan requested information on MLK's whereabouts so they could kill him。 And， third， the account of Malcolm's assassination。 I'll remember three scenes from this book。 First， the account from the opening pages of the Klan's attack on the Little's home shortly before Malcolm was born。 Second， the conversation between Klan members and Malcolm X in Malcolm's home when the Klan requested information on MLK's whereabouts so they could kill him。 And， third， the account of Malcolm's assassination。 。。。more
Britta Böhler
，
Read for the BTP / Quarterfinals Nonfiction。Rating to come once the judging of this round has been finalized （end of May）。
Mary
，
At page 156， I decided not to renew this book from the library again。 The book attempts to flesh out the life of Malcolm X， especially as compared his "told-to" autobiography with Alex Haley。 While there were interesting details， there was also a lot of repetition and it was becoming more than a bit of a slog。 That far in， we were just up to the 16-year-old Malcolm， getting his feet wet in petty crime in Boston。 I was disappointed; he's interested me ever since I read that autobiography， but thi At page 156， I decided not to renew this book from the library again。 The book attempts to flesh out the life of Malcolm X， especially as compared his "told-to" autobiography with Alex Haley。 While there were interesting details， there was also a lot of repetition and it was becoming more than a bit of a slog。 That far in， we were just up to the 16-year-old Malcolm， getting his feet wet in petty crime in Boston。 I was disappointed; he's interested me ever since I read that autobiography， but this just isn't the book I'd hoped for。 Along with the turtle-like pace， I just didn't like the writing style。 。。。more
Ashley Bratina
，
This audiobook was 18 hours long， which is substantially longer than most of the audiobooks I've listened to thus far。 At times， it was really difficult to get through， as a result of the racist language sometimes used in the book， hearing about the racist actions that Malcolm X had to fight against， or just the general heavy nature of his life leading up to his death。 I admittedly knew very little of Malcolm X before listening to this book。 I knew of him， but nothing about him。 I had heard that This audiobook was 18 hours long， which is substantially longer than most of the audiobooks I've listened to thus far。 At times， it was really difficult to get through， as a result of the racist language sometimes used in the book， hearing about the racist actions that Malcolm X had to fight against， or just the general heavy nature of his life leading up to his death。 I admittedly knew very little of Malcolm X before listening to this book。 I knew of him， but nothing about him。 I had heard that he was a civil rights activist of course， but didn't know the details surrounding that work or his assassination。 Definitely an interesting listen， but as I mentioned， hard at times to get through。 Extremely detailed。 I was thoroughly impressed by the amount of research that went into this book。 。。。more
Darian Oquinn
，
Excellent ， extremely well researched book。 A nice addition to the autobiography。
Read&Succeed
，
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
Saira
，
Very well researched。
Bill Hart
，
Very Well Written Book！This was a very good book。 It gives pretty much the life history of Malcolm X。 He seems like a tragic character who was brought up in a underprivileged situation losing his parents at a young age not finishing the eighth grade。 He then got involved with undesirables and wound up with a prison sentence。 He had a conversion of sorts while in prison。 He was not able to follow up on his education which I think is a key point。He is portrayed as a very bright individual but I th Very Well Written Book！This was a very good book。 It gives pretty much the life history of Malcolm X。 He seems like a tragic character who was brought up in a underprivileged situation losing his parents at a young age not finishing the eighth grade。 He then got involved with undesirables and wound up with a prison sentence。 He had a conversion of sorts while in prison。 He was not able to follow up on his education which I think is a key point。He is portrayed as a very bright individual but I think of his lack of formal education really was a good part of his undoing。 He seem to be fascinated with Elijah Mohammed。 Who ultimately did him no favors in the long run。 Subsequent to his split with Mohamed he got involved with a more mainline Muslim sect but he also fell in with communists shortly before his death！ It’s unfortunate that he did not have more formal education is I think things may have turned out much better for him under those circumstances。 Very interesting read 。。。more
Anika
，
This 2020 National Book Award winner for nonfiction is incredibly well researched and goes beyond what Malcolm X’s autobiography could - sharing stories or his family before he was born， looking at movement for civil rights across the country， information about FBI surveillance， and what happened to Malcolm’s followers after his death。 I think if you’re going to read one Malcolm X book， it should be his autobiography （which is so good） but this is a great additional piece of reading to give a fu This 2020 National Book Award winner for nonfiction is incredibly well researched and goes beyond what Malcolm X’s autobiography could - sharing stories or his family before he was born， looking at movement for civil rights across the country， information about FBI surveillance， and what happened to Malcolm’s followers after his death。 I think if you’re going to read one Malcolm X book， it should be his autobiography （which is so good） but this is a great additional piece of reading to give a fuller picture。 。。。more
Gina Long
，
Well-resarched， the book fills in information missing from other biographies and the Alex Haley autobiography。The Moorish temples and pseudo-Masonic groups， and their influence in forming the Nation of Islam are finally given a much-needed examination and placement in the context of African-American nationalist movements before and during the Civil Rights era。He author spent nearly 39 years compiling information for this book， and his meticulous work shines。
Deirdre
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Learned a lot but probably would’ve been better if I read the biography of Malcolm x first
Maria
，
This is a great book if you are like me and do not know a lot about Malcolm X or the history of Civil Right movement in the US。 This book starts even before he was born， with his family being subject to KKK violence in the South and Midwest。 I had only heard of Marcus Garvey before and this book explains his beliefs and the influence he had on the Littles。 It also explains the origins of the Nation of Islam and how it differs from traditional Islam， and why some Blacks turned away from Christian This is a great book if you are like me and do not know a lot about Malcolm X or the history of Civil Right movement in the US。 This book starts even before he was born， with his family being subject to KKK violence in the South and Midwest。 I had only heard of Marcus Garvey before and this book explains his beliefs and the influence he had on the Littles。 It also explains the origins of the Nation of Islam and how it differs from traditional Islam， and why some Blacks turned away from Christianity。 This is a well written book that provides just enough background and does not wonder too far from the main story of the life of Malcolm X。 It is a must read for anyone who is interested in 20th Century American history。 。。。more
Elif Koc
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Really eloquent， thoughtful， and easy to follow。 One of my favorite （simplifies） takeaways was that MLK focused on breaking the false sense of superiority of the white man， while Malcolm dedicated his life to breaking the false sense of inferiority of the black man。 I really just adore Malcolm X。 Hard to believe how crazy smart and charismatic he was。 He was barely literate at the age of 19 but then in prison。。。。 damn。 I love his debate style especially but there are so many facets of his talent Really eloquent， thoughtful， and easy to follow。 One of my favorite （simplifies） takeaways was that MLK focused on breaking the false sense of superiority of the white man， while Malcolm dedicated his life to breaking the false sense of inferiority of the black man。 I really just adore Malcolm X。 Hard to believe how crazy smart and charismatic he was。 He was barely literate at the age of 19 but then in prison。。。。 damn。 I love his debate style especially but there are so many facets of his talents - he has an entrepreneurial/society management side to him that you don’t often read about。 And he’s obviously so witty and charming。 I also like his single minded devotion to NOI even as you can tell cracks are being formed。 I admire that sense of passion and intensity。 But most of all， I can just really sense the goodness of Malcolm X and that combination of being truly thoughtful， intelligent， committed， and extroverted is something special。 Is it facetious to say I want to become like him？Elijah Muhammad seems like the worst。 This book doesn’t go super deep into him but ugh。 I also started realizing just how cult-y NOI was。 But why wouldn’t it be？ Being black in the 20th century especially was such a vulnerable place to be。 Are cults bad if they actually give people a sense of self confidence and identity？ Even if parts of it are iffy？ Also saw a lot of similarities between NOI and Muslim Brotherhood。 Next I would want to read more about the religious aspect of NOI and how actual Muslims perceived it。 NOI feels kind of like a fanfiction version of Islam， but again， if it worked for people， what’s the problem？ 。。。more
Anita
，
Lots of detail。 Fascinating。 Malcom's ability to change his approach to change in the face of his lived experience， it a great lesson for all of us Lots of detail。 Fascinating。 Malcom's ability to change his approach to change in the face of his lived experience， it a great lesson for all of us 。。。more
Muneeb Ahmed
，
“The Ballot or the Bullet”The title of one of Malcolm’s final speeches succinctly summarizes how he felt after his split from the NOI。 He recognized the power voting holds in a “democratic” state and how important it is to make sure people who want to vote CAN vote。 It is astounding how timeless his remarks are - he could give this speech in 2021 and it would be just as relevant as it was in 1964。 Malcolm was a great voice for the speechless for his time and continues to be half a century later。 “The Ballot or the Bullet”The title of one of Malcolm’s final speeches succinctly summarizes how he felt after his split from the NOI。 He recognized the power voting holds in a “democratic” state and how important it is to make sure people who want to vote CAN vote。 It is astounding how timeless his remarks are - he could give this speech in 2021 and it would be just as relevant as it was in 1964。 Malcolm was a great voice for the speechless for his time and continues to be half a century later。This one quote sums up his character as accurately as any book: “I’m not here to tell you what you like。。。 I’m going to tell the truth whether you like it or not。” 。。。more
Carl
，
Having previously read Malcolm X's book， many years ago， I listed to this book to see what information may be different。 The earlier years of the story are very close to what's in Malcolm's book。 For me， this book starts to come alive during Malcolm's tenure with the Nation of Islam （NOI）。 There was quite a bit of information I had not heard before。 The shooting scene and subsequent history is detailed and interesting。 Having previously read Malcolm X's book， many years ago， I listed to this book to see what information may be different。 The earlier years of the story are very close to what's in Malcolm's book。 For me， this book starts to come alive during Malcolm's tenure with the Nation of Islam （NOI）。 There was quite a bit of information I had not heard before。 The shooting scene and subsequent history is detailed and interesting。 。。。more
D
，
Excellent accompaniment to X’s autobiography。 Amazing level of research and interviews。
Roberta
，
Fascinating bio！
Christea
，
Really wonderful biography， very accessible and gripping， the audiobook is a great recording
Rusty
，
Dense and incredibly well researched， this makes for an engrossing read providing deep analysis of the man and the time in which he lived often relying on interviews with those closest to him across his 39 years - a great follow-up to Malcolm's autobiography。 My primary complaint is the complete lack of information about his wife and children。 It's glaring in such a thoroughly sourced work。 Dense and incredibly well researched， this makes for an engrossing read providing deep analysis of the man and the time in which he lived often relying on interviews with those closest to him across his 39 years - a great follow-up to Malcolm's autobiography。 My primary complaint is the complete lack of information about his wife and children。 It's glaring in such a thoroughly sourced work。 。。。more
Deborah
，
The author is a journalist who spent decades reporting out the facts and mythology of this extraordinary life。 His access to key sources in every phase of the great man's journey reveals the human within the giant。 I'm left in awe of how Malcolm Little became such a towering figure， with a much greater appreciation of his insight and impact。 The author's death， before publication， led to the book's completion by his daughter， who provides a moving forward。 The author is a journalist who spent decades reporting out the facts and mythology of this extraordinary life。 His access to key sources in every phase of the great man's journey reveals the human within the giant。 I'm left in awe of how Malcolm Little became such a towering figure， with a much greater appreciation of his insight and impact。 The author's death， before publication， led to the book's completion by his daughter， who provides a moving forward。 。。。more
Andy Miller
，
Malcolm X's influence is still powerful more than 55 years after his murder。 Les Payne's "The Dead are Rising " will prove to be the ultimate biography not simply because of the years of research， that so many of the people that Payne interviewed about their relationship with Malcolm X died during the years of work but also because of Payne's unique perspective。 As a college student， Payne heard Malcolm X speak， as a journalist Payne experienced the discrimination that Malcolm preached against， Malcolm X's influence is still powerful more than 55 years after his murder。 Les Payne's "The Dead are Rising " will prove to be the ultimate biography not simply because of the years of research， that so many of the people that Payne interviewed about their relationship with Malcolm X died during the years of work but also because of Payne's unique perspective。 As a college student， Payne heard Malcolm X speak， as a journalist Payne experienced the discrimination that Malcolm preached against， as a historian Payne was not reluctant to correct the record of Malcolm's famous autobiography or address personal flaws。The greatest strength of the book was Malcolm's family and early life。 His parents were strong and followers of Marcus Garvey。 Payne deftly describes the rivalries and differences between Garvey， Booker Washington and W。E。 DuBois。 Payne ascribes the strength that Malcolm X and his siblings had to his parents instilling in their children Garvey's teachings that Blacks were not inferior， that they could be strong and separate even in the face of racial terror。 A turning point was their father's death， partly because of the loss of the strong role model but also because his death plunged the family into poverty eventually causing his widow's mental breakdown。 Malcolm is not sympathetic here， while some other siblings worked to take care of their mother at great cost to themselves， Malcolm X would steal the money they gave her for food， spending it on frivolities and nights on the town。His move to Boston is detailed as well as his increasingly wild life which ended in a lengthy prison sentence。 It was Malcom's brothers who introduced him to the Black Muslims and then continued to persuade him towards that path。 Malcolm turned into the ultimate student even as he joined prison debate teams that competed against Ivy League schools， by the time he left prison he had the speaking skills， the academic background to compliment his charisma and self-confidence that led to his leadership。A highlight is Les Payne's narrative of the meeting of Malcolm X and another Black Muslim with the KKK in Atlanta at Elijah's request due to many overlapping goals between the two groups。 Payne tells of Malcolm's distinctions between segregation and separation and his discomfort turning to revulsion when the KKK turns to a mutual plan to murder Martin Luther King Jr。 While Malcolm X detested King at the time， he was not going to be part of working with the KKK to murder him。 His sensing that Elijah might be open to that corroboration and certainly to other joint efforts was a key in his eventual break。Payne spells out the weeks before Malcolm's murder and day of the murder is almost a minute by minute account。 Payne does not dispute that it was the Black Muslims who committed the murder though he is convincing in his argument that two of the three convicted were innocent and that many involved in the murder were never held accountable。 He also describes the evidence that show that NYPD and the FBI may have been complicit in failing to stop the murder they knew about due to their multiple informers。 Especially chilling is NYPD's chastising of one of their officers who was posing as a bodyguard for trying to save Malcolm's life with mouth to mouth resuscitation after the shooting。There is so much more to this comprehensive biography， no good reads review could suffice。 This is a good and important read 。。。more
Nightmaresky
，
This is a really good biography of Malcolm X。 I had not read his autobiography and I am glad that I didn't because this book give the reader an unbiased view into his life。 I am not a fan of who Malcolm X was。 He was abusive and racist for most of his life。 Towards the end of his life he does turn his views around but there are somethings that he has done that I cannot overlook （hitting women）。 He is a historical figure， just not one I admire。 This book was very educational from a history perspe This is a really good biography of Malcolm X。 I had not read his autobiography and I am glad that I didn't because this book give the reader an unbiased view into his life。 I am not a fan of who Malcolm X was。 He was abusive and racist for most of his life。 Towards the end of his life he does turn his views around but there are somethings that he has done that I cannot overlook （hitting women）。 He is a historical figure， just not one I admire。 This book was very educational from a history perspective and taught me several facts that I was unaware of。 Overall， if you like non-fiction， African-American， history， or biography genres this is a really good （but long） read。 。。。more
Ryan
，
Read through chapter 17 before it went back to the library。
Rick Brown
，
Powerful， thought provoking， and in-depth biography of Malcolm X。 I feel like his Autobiography （written with Alex Haley） was more powerful， but this biography gave a fuller picture and depth to his life， beliefs and death。 I'd be very curious to know what the NOI， NYPD， FBI， and CIA thought about this book。 Powerful， thought provoking， and in-depth biography of Malcolm X。 I feel like his Autobiography （written with Alex Haley） was more powerful， but this biography gave a fuller picture and depth to his life， beliefs and death。 I'd be very curious to know what the NOI， NYPD， FBI， and CIA thought about this book。 。。。more
Susan Goldstein
，
This author spent 30 years researching this book and for that alone， I have tremendous respect。 He writes well—not scholarly—so the story is readable and interesting。 I learned so much about Malcolm X—I always wanted to read more about him。 Fascinating background and philosophy—it was interesting to see the factors that shaped his thinking。 And I couldn’t help but wonder how he would have reacted to today’s climate in America。 His death was a loss in many ways—especially his lost future contribu This author spent 30 years researching this book and for that alone， I have tremendous respect。 He writes well—not scholarly—so the story is readable and interesting。 I learned so much about Malcolm X—I always wanted to read more about him。 Fascinating background and philosophy—it was interesting to see the factors that shaped his thinking。 And I couldn’t help but wonder how he would have reacted to today’s climate in America。 His death was a loss in many ways—especially his lost future contributions as a political activist and spiritual leader。 。。。more
Vickie
，
I liked this book。 It was very thorough and very informative。
John Windt
，
Excellent。 Read his autobiography but this book was much more detailed and truthful。
Karyn
，
Seems a more balanced report of the life of Malcolm X。 A fascinating man。
Marklutherlawoffice
，