The Autobiography of Malcolm X

I finally, finally got around to finishing The Autobiography of Malcolm X. What a fantastic book. Though the early years weren't as interesting to me, once I learned more about his experiences with the Nation of Islam and then “orthodox” Islam (his word, not mine), I was riveted. I had known all of this about Malcolm X before, but now I have a better developed understanding of his experiences.

He asked what has Christianity done for the world, which I also think is a good point. Islam gets a bad reputation for being “violent,” though if we look throughout history, many militia groups in the U.S., as well as secessionists, ethnic purists, and abortion clinic bombers have been Christian. While I do not deem Christianity to be anymore “violent” overall than Islam, I think it's worth looking at in a critical lens.

Another interesting point that Malcolm X discusses is how “whites” (general society) don't ask what black people think about world health, sending the man to the moon, or any other issues. Instead, people only ask them about racial-political issues, which I think points to the same thing that Malcolm X claims—an underestimation of their intelligence.

Malcolm X's ability to engage and develop a social movement in an era of far fewer technological tools is astounding. I worry that in the future, we will not have orators quite like Malcolm X.