I want to start this post with some brutally honest facts. I am probably the whitest white girl you could ever meet. There is no way that I could understand the struggles black people face on a daily basis. I can sympathize. I can make choices to be a better human. I listen and acknowledge.

For all of those reasons, I am making my first February post in honor of Black History Month. I have a list of books by black authors that I would like to read at some point, but I felt compelled to put The Autobiography of Malcolm X at the top of my list. He was a leader from my home state of Michigan who fought for change for his fellow African Americans and who tragically lost his life because of his beliefs. This book highlights his journey and the many phases of his existence until he became the man so many admire today.

Amazon Description :

In the searing pages of this classic autobiography, originally published in 1964, Malcolm X, the Muslim leader, firebrand, and anti-integrationist, tells the extraordinary story of his life and the growth of the Black Muslim movement. His fascinating perspective on the lies and limitations of the American Dream, and the inherent racism in a society that denies its nonwhite citizens the opportunity to dream, gives extraordinary insight into the most urgent issues of our own time. The Autobiography of Malcolm X stands as the definitive statement of a movement and a man whose work was never completed but whose message is timeless. It is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand America.

My Opinion

I knew very little about who Malcolm X really was before I read this book. I had a vague image in my head of a scary, black man yelling about the evils of white men. I associated him with anger and violence.

But from reading his book I get a more well rounded picture. I get an understanding of how society limited him and pushed him into a place where committing crimes was the only way to survive without being consumed by poverty or feeling like a slave looked down upon by random white people. The expectation of failure, of being less than, or unworthy will eat away at any person. The fact that some people in our society still think that way about people who are different than themselves is disgusting and sad.

Malcom X was a gifted public speaker, but some of the things he said could be off putting to the general public. He didn’t care. He wasn’t speaking in order to become famous or make a name for himself. He was speaking because he wanted to reach his people. He wanted them to stand up for themselves, for the rights they deserved as humans and the potential they were squandering in the ghettos.

Over the last year of his life, Malcolm X began trying to change his image. He didn’t regret the things he had previously said, but as he had learned about true Islam, his perspective had changed. He knew that he was a target though. He was gunned down in front of his family at the Audubon Ballroom. He didn’t get the chance to change people’s minds about him.

This book was a good reminder to not trust the headlines and dig deeper into the issues and people they are about. The media is in the business of selling a story, but every story has 2 sides. Are you finding the truth?

Just something to think about.

Have a good day.

Kristie