Read By Any Means Necessary Malcolm X Speeches and Writings Malcolm X Speeches Writings Malcolm X 9780873487542 Books

Product details Series Malcolm X Speeches & Writings Paperback 209 pages Publisher Pathfinder Press (NY); 2 edition (September 1, 1992) Language English ISBN-10 9780873487542 ISBN-13 978-0873487542 ASIN 0873487540

By Any Means Necessary Malcolm X Speeches and Writings Malcolm X Speeches Writings Malcolm X 9780873487542 Books Reviews

• The two leading civil rights leaders of the 1950s and 1960s were Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. They usually are thought of as being polar opposites of each other. King is well-known for his advocacy of non-violent resistance; Malcolm X is notorious for his alleged support of violence, but was this really the case? Implications towards an answer may be found in the speeches and interviews gathered in this book.
  
  The book is comprised of three speeches to the Organization for Afro-American Unity, three interviews, a press conference, the Q&A portion of two sessions (one of which was for a speech printed in another volume), and a letter from his travels in Africa.
  
  It is a bracing experience to capture Malcolm X in his own words. The results of his words being filtered through Alex Haley in his autobiography become apparent. Malcolm X has an even more vigorous style in his own words than in the ones co-written with Haley. Haley does an outstanding job, to be sure, and the contractual agreements made prior to starting the book gave Malcolm X authority to command changes. However, it was impossible for Haley to avoid imprinting a trace of his own style into Malcolm X’s autobiography.
  
  All material in the book come from Malcolm X’s last year before his assassination, i.e., the period following his split with Elijah Mahummad and the Nation of Islam. The text illustrates his evolving attitudes towards subjects as varied as black-white intermarriages and socialism and capitalism. Each item is prefaced with a brief helpful note to place the item to follow in context.
  
  Nevertheless, the book was a bit thin, I thought, and ultimately disappointing. I certainly would have liked to have seen more than three speeches and three interviews, notwithstanding the supplemental material the book actually did contain. Where was the famously incendiary orator? He was not to be found in these pages.
  
  Therefore, I do not recommend this text as an introduction to Malcolm X’s speeches; Malcolm X Speaks is a better book for that purpose. Speaking more broadly, I do not think this text is for the general or casual reader. It is for an academic audience, of course, publishing an abundance of material not made available elsewhere, and it serves this purpose well. This latter purpose also will draw in fans of Malcolm X who want to complete their personal libraries.
• This man was a genius!! It's a tragedy that he was murdered! I think he would have made our country be as one, as it should have been/be!!! So glad I bought this book for my "library"!
• very infomrative
• awesome book so far! Malcolm truly was ahead of his time
• Great Book on Malcolm X. Many speeches and statements I never heard from him. The speeches and statements come from different aspects of his life. Great read.
• This book is outstanding.
• Good
• Great, timeless piece