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Malcolm X Speaks
Malcolm X Speaks: selected speeches and statements.
Hardcover
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About the author
Malcolm X
126 books3,185 followersMalcolm 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 29, 2025
This was the first book of Malcolm X speeches published (1965). It gives some of his most important speeches from just before he formally left the Nation of Islam until near his death. It was followed by many other books with more speeches covering that same time period, all published by Pathfinder Press.
There is a paperback edition of this book, but for just a few dollars more get this more readable version. I also recommend The Autobiography of Malcolm X, although as I.F. Stone suggested, Alex Haley's political views were far too conventional for him to be able to fully "get" Malcom X.
Also be sure to read Malcolm X, Black Liberation, and the Road to Workers Power.
And to read an excellent account from an African-American newspaper of the meeting between Malcolm X (who made the arrangements) and Fidel Castro on his first visit to the UN see the appendix to To Speak the Truth: Why Washington's 'cold War' Against Cuba Doesn't End
And don't miss Malcolm X, Black Liberation, and the Road to Workers Power by Jack Barnes, who had interviewed Malcolm for the 'Young Socialist.
There is a paperback edition of this book, but for just a few dollars more get this more readable version. I also recommend The Autobiography of Malcolm X, although as I.F. Stone suggested, Alex Haley's political views were far too conventional for him to be able to fully "get" Malcom X.
Also be sure to read Malcolm X, Black Liberation, and the Road to Workers Power.
And to read an excellent account from an African-American newspaper of the meeting between Malcolm X (who made the arrangements) and Fidel Castro on his first visit to the UN see the appendix to To Speak the Truth: Why Washington's 'cold War' Against Cuba Doesn't End
And don't miss Malcolm X, Black Liberation, and the Road to Workers Power by Jack Barnes, who had interviewed Malcolm for the 'Young Socialist.
Displaying 1 of 1 review