Last Year of Malcolm X: The Evolution of a Revolutionary [Paperback]

George Breitman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1970

Malcolm X's political evolution after he left the Nation of Islam. Analyzes the conflicts that resulted in Malcolm's being driven out of the Nation, his views on how to combat anti-Black discrimination, and how, as he put it, to "internationalize" the struggle.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Recommended for academic and public libraries. --Library Journal

Recommended for all college libraries. --Choice

"Fascinating and provocative..." --Michael Eric Dyson in the New York Times/b

"Fascinating and provocative… ." --Michael Eric Dyson in the New York Times/b

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Pathfinder Press (NY) (June 1, 1970)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 087348004X
• ISBN-13: 978-0873480048
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,078,988 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #69 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( M ) > Malcolm X

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Real Malcolm In His Last Year, July 18, 2002

By 

Andrew Hunt (Reseda, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Last Year of Malcolm X: The Evolution of a Revolutionary (Paperback)

This excellent little book traces the evolution of the thought and action of Malcolm X in the last eleven months of his life.Malcolm rejected the anti-Semitism and anti-woman policies of the Nation of Islam, and its refusal to involve itself in the civil rights movement. He continued to more and more place the Black struggle in this country in the world context : in the context of the struggle of the workers and farmers in Asia , Africa, and Latin America against imperialism, Yanki imperialism in the first place. He continued to expose the role of the Democratic Party to fool the masses of working people into thinking that we have a friend among our oppressors and exploiters. More and more, he spoke out against capitialism as the cause of racism and described himself unabashedly as pro-socialist.He spoke of the Chinese, Vietnamese, and Cuban revolutions as examples of what we working people must do HERE for the future of all humanity. The author is no academic ' observer'; he covered Malcolm's evolution for The Militant newspaper, the only place Malcolm's speeches were published in full and undistorted after he left the Nation of Islam. This book is an excellent companion volume to read alongside Malcolm's actual speeches, also published by Pathfinder Press.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book on Malcolm X, July 4, 2002

By 

Tony Thomas (SUNNY ISLES BEACH, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Last Year of Malcolm X: The Evolution of a Revolutionary (Paperback)

This short book is the best book ever written on Malcolm, although it is modest. It seeks to document the changes in Malcolm's ideas in the last years of his life. It also includes Malcolm's Speech introducing his program for the Organization of Afro-American Unity which besides outlining his idea for a political struggle in the Black community, documents Malcolm's collaboration with Cuban Revolutionist Che Guevara. Also included is the program of the OAAU.

Breitman, a long-time revolutionist, was one of the first people who called attention to the revolutionary significance of Malcolm and the Muslims. He is the editor Malcolm chose to put together Malcolm X Speaks. Breitman's concern is with the view that Malcolm did not do anything signficant, particularly in the African American struggle, between his expulsion from the Muslims and his murder. Instead, he shows how the amount of work Malcolm did to energize and organize struggle both inside the US and abroad, is how to believe and documents what Malcolm did.

He also comments on how Malcolm realised he needed to sharpen his critique of the Nation of Islam and Elijah Muhammed, something that is shown in February 1965: The Final Speeches, a collection of Malcolm's speeches and interviews from the last month of his life.


While this book may not be directly available from Amazon at times, they are available from the booksfrompathfinder on Amazon that you can find by clicking on the new and used books on this page.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, Helps to Really Understand Malcolm, December 21, 2005

By 

Pearse O'Sullivan (Lexington, KY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Last Year of Malcolm X: The Evolution of a Revolutionary (Paperback)

I, like the author, believe that the Autobiography of Malcolm X left out crucial elements to understanding Malcolm's life and sentiments because it did not cover his life to the last day. This book actually looks at Malcolm's life in three separate stages: his life up until and including being a Nation of Islam spokesperson, his transition period while he was breaking with the Nation of Islam and shortly thereafter, and the path he was setting for himself as he was killed.

This book aims to prove that Malcolm was setting an anti-imperialist path, and internationalist path, an anti-capitalist path, a truly revolutionary and truly dangerous (for the ruling classes) path.

I think the book proves it, and I respect Malcolm all the more for it.

This book also contains criticisms of Malcolm by various people, notably some liberals, and so it's good to get an idea of where people stood, who was really afraid of Malcolm and what he was really starting to represent.