Customer Reviews

Malcolm X Speaks: Selected Speeches and Statements

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In re-reading Malcolm X Speaks, I'm struck by how well he understood the viciousness of the U.S. system of oppression and how clearly he expressed the need for all-out, uncompromising struggle against it. The capitalist class lashed out at Malcolm X for these speeches, not just because he criticized their system, but because he dared to awaken the oppressed to their unconquerable human potential. Fighters from all over the world have studied this book, members of Sinn Fein in Ireland, farmers fighting foreclosure, opponents of police brutality, and supporters of the embattled Palestinians. Sharing the lessons of this book will advance our struggle! If this book is not available from Amazon, booksfrompathfinder will have it--click on "new and used" near the top of the page.

This book lets the reader feel the power and intensity of the late El Hajj Malik El Shabazz (Malcolm X) from his time with the Nation of Islam to his Sunni Islamic belifs. While most books about Malcolm are written by PHD's who never met him this book is a combination of his OWN WORDS even a publisher cant mess this up.

The most unique thing about Malcolm X is he never wrote anything, he simply spoke the truth and that alone has proven to withstand the tides of time because his words are still fresh as ever. His speeches always find a way to get to your spirit and makes you rethink the world you are living in. After reading this book, i forget which speech it was exactly, he mentioned something about negores not knowing their history and it was up to them to go forth and reconnect with their homeland. This led me to wonder where I came from. Even though I am not black, I felt as if he was speaking directly to me and this is the kind of power he had. he made you look upon yoyurself and force yourself to ask, "Who am i? And Do I really hate myself?" Racism is still an issue in this country. It has not gone away and malcolm X was never afraid to point out the hypocrisy of the system I was taught to honor and defend. Surely, not one the best books on his speeches out there, but nonetheless powerful enough to get you thinking about the injustice we face everyday. A man who taught you how to be a human being in the end of his life. Today, more than ever his words should never be forgotten.

While you'd be wise to approach this book with some background knowledge and context, no matter what you're background you have to feel the power of these speeches that still strike as strong today as anything you'll ever read and Malcolm's logic and sincerity hit hard. Don't think you know about what Malcolm stood for if you haven't truly read or heard and engaged his words.
I'd also highly recommend checking Breitman's The Last Year of Malcolm X along with if you have not already.

"If George Washington didn't get independence for this country nonviolently, and if Patrick Henry didn't come up with a nonviolent statement, and you taught me to look upon them as patriots and heroes, then it's time for you to realize that I have studied your books well..." Malcolm X

It is statements like this that make me love reading about Malcolm X. His intelligence, charisma and courage emanate from his words. He inspires, challenges and provokes his listeners to change their thinking. Not only does he challenge others, but he challenges himself to constantly analyze, to constantly evolve.

Malcolm X Speaks is an excellent read, from cover to cover. If you want a good idea of where Malcolm was heading before his untimely death, this is the book.

The strength of Malcolm X's vision bleeds through even the comparatively dull medium of paper print. Even if you can't watch the man speak now, you can feel the power of his words with this book. Best read after the biography of Malcolm X.

VERY VERY INTERESTING, I LOVE TO HEAR MALCOLM X'S THOUGHTS AND HIS WAYS OF SOLVING PROBLEMS WITHIN THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY. THIS IS A MUST READ, WE ALL NEED TO READ HIS SPEECHES AND OPEN ARE MINDS UP.

Best book on iconic Malcolm X. The typically-moving speeches dazzle while revealing the mind of a man in his latest exposure and in his wisest state of being.

Though I believe that Malcolm X was sometimes too angry to be wise, I love that he makes me care about myself, makes me question any absences of self-respect that I may have, not just as a Black person, but as an individual. His words make me ask the less obvious questions of myself, and of others; and they force me to face the things in myself that foster any illusions I have about the world I live in.

If you want to make your blood boil and if you like to see red, this is the book for you. I don't want to grandstand and this is not the forum to be cavalier but this guy got what he deserved.

This is a true portrayal of Malcolm X written speech by speech. If you like being referred to as "the cracker" and "Whitey" or revere in the thought that this man is nothing more than a catalyst for a race riot... this book is for you. I just got a brand new outdoor fire-pit. I will probably use this book for kindling if I finish it before winter! My advice, read Martin Luther King if you want an well educated perspective on race relations.