The Autobiography of Malcolm X

Malcolm X tells the story of his life and the growth of the Black Muslim movement in this autobiography, written with veteran journalist Alex Haley over nearly two years. Malcolm X worked on the book aware that he might not live to see its completion. Raised in Lansing, Michigan, Malcolm Little experienced poverty and petty crime in his youth before being imprisoned. In jail, he encountered the teachings of Black Muslim leader Elijah Muhammad and converted to Islam, becoming known as Malcolm X. He rose to become the Nation of Islam's foremost spokesman. When he later left the organization, he founded the Organization of Afro-American Unity to promote messages of pride, power, and self-determination. This commemorative edition was published on the 100th anniversary of Malcolm X's birth. The autobiography documents a movement and a man whose work remained unfinished, while examining his perspective on the American Dream and its contradictions in relation to contemporary issues.