This book will appeal to many different people and I would recommend that anyone, who can access a copy, should read it. The book begins with an account by the author of the last days of Malcolm X's existance, during which he put this book together with author. The book then tells the story of Malcolm's youth, growing up in a shockingly and disgracefully racist America. The young man, whom excelled academically and aimed for a prosperous career and future, was racially abused and grossly discouraged by white members of the community. The book continues, following Malcolm into the ghettos of Detroit and then Harlem, in which a life of crime appeared to be Malcolms destiny. Next comes the jail term, during which Malcolm made the discovery of religion and a developed a thirst for knowledge, both of which whould contribute to a massive change in direction for the young Afro-American. Upon his release from prison, the book follows Malcolms facinating journey as he dedicates his life to spreading the message he has recieved.

Do not pass go, do not collect £200, just go directly to the store and buy this book now...

The book's primary motif of race relations cast its shadow upon every paragraph, and gradually became more involved in Malcolm's life as he proceeded into adulthood. In the middle portion of the book, Malcolm took a dramatic fall as he dropped to the lowest state of society in prison. Faced with a fork in the road, Malcolm strived for the best as he painfully resumed his education. The middle chapters were the most inspiring to read for me as a student. I certainly could relate to the processes of learning how to read and write, but never the way Malcolm went about accomplishing them. Simply put, he did it the hard way. Starting with the first page of a dictionary and blindly copying, Malcolm regained the properties of letters and words. His better-educated vocabulary led to the comprehension of ideas through words. Then books were read to facilitate the process. This snowball effect opened Malcolm's mind and understanding to the real race issue. Through this newly gained knowledge, he finally was able to understand why different people acted the way they did as well as how they went about doing so.

The last portion of the book was to me the most educational. I was for the first time introduced to Islam, a religion I was not familiar with. I also learned that with fame came sacrifices, the loss of a private life, and great jealousy. I truly believed Malcolm when he said that he believed in The Honorable Elijah Muhammad, the spiritual leader of The Nation of Islam, more than he believed in himself. From that point on, the world was now seen and described through the eyes of a mature adult. I read with bewilderment as Malcolm depicted his every step in building up the Nation of Islam into a life saving organization for the Black masses in American. I shared his joy when he made the pilgrimage to Mecca and made acquaintances with world leaders and people of importance. I believed he made the best judgment of his life when he reshaped his beliefs in racial status and racial discrimination. As I neared the end of Malcolm's life, he was in the unimaginable position of facing his inevitable violent death. Great fame coupled by his celebrity status had caused tremendous hate and jealousy in the organization. The last couple of chapters really taught me something about human nature. Imagine going to sleep at night while knowing the names of the assailants hired to kill you! Furthermore, imagine if they were the same faithful students you preached to get them back on their feet in society! It was almost inconceivable. Malcolm nevertheless spent his numbered days preaching and speaking to the Afro-American population, and spreading Black pride to every corner of the world. He was brutally murdered February 21, 1965 at three o'clock in the afternoon while making his last speech in New York, with his family present. As a reader I was downhearted, but at the same time relieved that he died fighting for his people and their human rights.

I feel this has been the single most influential literary piece of work I have ever encountered. I never could have guessed that this random pick for a summer reading assignment could influence me so much, and ultimately change the way I perceive.