THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MALCOM X

Malcom X is possibly the most misunderstood American figure of the 20th Century. If you are a white person with an educational upbringing similar to mine, you probably learned very little about him beyond, “During the Civil Rights movement, MLK was ‘the good one’ and Malcom X was ‘the bad one.’” 

This autobiography, told by Malcom X to writer Alex Haley, sheds light on all the things that the media never did. After learning about the immense trauma Malcom and his family suffered at the hands of white supremacists—including the murder of his father—it’s easy to see why he held such vehement beliefs. Malcolm X is often stereotyped as an "angry Black man," but in reading his story one understands that he had every right to be furious.

Beyond that, we learn about a man who reformed and educated himself in prison, worked tirelessly for no financial gain, held himself to the highest moral standards, and was singularly focused on an honest pursuit of truth—willing to change his most deeply held beliefs whenever encountering something deeper and more true. This is without a doubt one of the most eye-opening and important books I have ever read.

- Recommended by Tess