Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention - Captures the hearts of critics
Recently I read Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention, a book written by the late Manning Marable, who unfortunately died days before the book was released.
Dr. Marable detailed every aspect of Malcolm's life with great scholarly integrity, highlighting the sociopolitical atmosphere within the timeline from Malcolm's birth to his death.The book is unlike the work produced by Alex Haley in collaboration with Malcolm X The Autobiography of Malcolm X , 1965. Haley's work is a great autobiography of Malcolm X in its own right but Dr. Marable's book views the life of Malcolm X seemingly through a different set of lenses.
Dr. Marable spent over ten years gathering information and checking his facts, to produce a detailed document which is not only biographical but sociological as well. He examines all events leading up to Malcolm's membership into the Nation of Islam and his death.
I appreciate Dr. Marable's presentation of Malcolm as both real and complex.
Dr. Marable's work has undeniably caused some uneasiness among some who are either directly or indirectly connected to Malcolm X, however, on a positive note, he has inspired others to view the life and social philosophy of Malcolm X from a new perspective.
This is a well-written and thought-provoking work by Dr. Manning Marable; his book has definitely broadened my understanding of Malcolm X.
Have you read any biographies that have broadened your understanding of an historical figure?
Other works by Dr. Manning Marable:
- Speaking Truth to Power: Essays on Race, Resistance and Radicalism
- Freedom: A Photographic History of the African American Struggle
- The Autobiography of Medgar Evers: A Hero's Life and Legacy Revealed through his writings, letters and speeches