A Purpose-Driven Life
Stars: 4/5
A great comprehensive biography for a complex individual whom Ossie Davis called “...our own black shining Prince.” The dedication and research that Manning Marable put into this book is simply exhaustive... and it shows. From womb to tomb, the life of Malcolm Little is traversed here; from Malcolm Little born in Omaha, Nebraska, to Detroit Red, to Malcolm X , to El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz.
In contrast to the “Autobiography of Malcolm X” by Alex Haley, Marable claims his “Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention” includes information on FBI and police surveillance, details from lost chapters that were not included in Haley’s book, access to speeches prior to 1950 and more context into Malcolm’s activities concerning MMI and OAAU.
I see that this biography has come under criticism for potential inaccuracies. However, it is still a worthy read, as well as the published counter arguments and other biographies. One book or one author is not enough to contain this man and his transformation. It is up to the astute reader to disseminate and fashion together, from all sources, the legacy of Malcolm X.
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