Book summary

Born Malcolm Little, and known as Detroit Red during his years as a petty criminal in Harlem, Malcolm X turned his life around, and here tells his story to Alex Haley, the famed author of ROOTS. In this autobiography, Malcolm recalls his troubled upbringing, candidly reveals his sordid past, and tells of his jailhouse conversion to Islam. He includes his enlightening pilgrimage to Mecca, as well as his dispute with Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Nation of Islam. Malcolm X became a major, if controversial, figure on the American scene as a speaker, preaching on self-esteem and identity, giving hope, and telling it like it was. THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MALCOLM X, which was published after Malcolm's 1965 assassination, was an influential book in its time. It is said to have influenced the Black Power movement, and was on many university reading lists. It has been a perennial bestseller as a mass-market paperback. In 1992, director Spike Lee filmed MALCOLM X, starring Denzel Washington, for which both Alex Haley and Malcolm X were given writer's credits.