Malcolm X: Speeches at Harvard

by Malcolm X

Here in his own words are the revolutionary ideas that made Malcolm X one of the most charismatic and influential African-American leaders of the 1960s. These speeches document Malcolm's progression from Black nationalism to internationalism, and are key to both understanding his extraordinary life and illuminating his angry yet uplifting cause.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, History

191 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little), also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, was an American Black Muslim minister and a spokesman for the Nation of Islam.

After leaving the Nation of Islam in 1964, he made the pilgrimage, the Hajj, to Mecca and became a Sunni Muslim. He also founded the Muslim Mosque, Inc. and the Organization of Afro-American Unity. Less than a year later, he was assassinated in Washington Heights on the first day of National Brotherhood Week.

Historian Robin D.G. Kelley wrote, "Malcolm X has been called many things: Pan-Africanist, father of Black Power, religious fanatic, closet conservative, incipient socialist, and a menace to society. The meaning of his public life — his politics and ideology — is contested in part because his entire body of work consists of a few dozen speeches and a collaborative autobiography whose veracity is challenged. Malcolm has become a sort of tabula rasa, or blank slate, on which people of different positions can write their own interpretations of his politics and legacy.

Reviews

[Leroy Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book on Malcolm X. Through the accounts of this book you can see the transformation of the man as he transitions from the teachings of the Honorable Elijah J. Muhammad to an independent leader. Harvard Law School instructor Alan Dershowitz was a moderator at one of the three speeches that encompasses this material. An excellent reading experience that should've been made into a movie that's long overdue. I highly recommend this book for anyone who would like to know more about Malcolm X. It will give them an enlightening insight of this person.

[Jael Israel · Rating 5 out of 5]

An explanation in depth of Malcolm X numerous speeches and use of the English words. This book goes into Malcolm X clever ways of using this language but also using emotions and body language to express his views and give the audience a reaction, and by doing so getting one.
This book opened my eyes on how Malcolm was a great leader, and how far he could have gone if still alive. Definitely a good one of you are interested in figure of speeches, metaphors, body and emotions languages.

[Will Rowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

While Malcolm X's speeches were quite interesting, especially seeing the evolution of his thought over time, I could not help but feel the author of the first more biographical/analytical section oversimplified some of Malcolm X's ideas and discussed them in bad faith and cynically. Nonetheless, a relatively interesting look at Malcolm X's political philosophy and growth.

[Stephen A Bess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read in Malcom's own words.