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Jump to navigationJump to searchMalcolm X: A Life of Reinvention by Manning Marable (view source)
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People's preconceptions about Malcolm X are vast. This is no surprise given his dramatic life, untimely death, and subsequent increased fame through the likes of {{amazontextamazonurl|title=Spike Lee's 1992 film|isbn=B00005A7TO}}. {{amazontextamazonurl|title=His autobiography|isbn=0141185430}} is a must-read for anyone interested in his life, or the tumultuous race struggle in the US in the 1960s, but it must be viewed in context. It was completed after Malcolm X's death, by co-author Alex Haley, and many aspects were highlighted or played down, to suit Malcolm X's ends. Manning Marable's biography, years in the making, looks at his life with a new perspective.
It is meticulously-researched, with a bibliography that could fell a blue whale. It will become definitive reading for students of Malcolm X's life: the depth of understanding about the man and his ideas is immense. It's the perfect time for such an autobiography, too: enough time has passed to allow for unbiased perspective, yet not so much time has passed that too many primary sources are no longer alive. This isn't a cheap muckraking biography, although the suggestion of a homosexual relationship in his Detroit Red days will spark debate. This is a book that strengthens some preconceptions, challenges others, and paints a full and rounded picture of a man whom many people try to understand and appropriate in different ways.
