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On the Side of My People: A Religious Life of Malcolm X

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Contrary to Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm X has won more than his due share of attention. But he gained renown mostly for reasons having to do with his personal odyssey from petty thief to political figure of international stature, his black nationalism, and his scintillating rhetoric-not because he was a key figure in the growth of Islam in the United States. DeCaro fills this gap with an intelligent focus on his "religious life." Like Clegg, he relies on extensive research of primary documents; he finds much that is new about the man he terms a "religiously driven revolutionist." 5 In particular, he shows where Malcolm X's famous Autobiography is either lacking important information or slanted to make a point; what Malcolm X actually did during his last year (after leaving the NOI and becoming a mainstream Muslim); and the parallels in Malcolm X's dual conversion (to the NOI, to Islam). From an Islamic viewpoint, On the Side of My People is of special interest for the way DeCaro pulls apart the myth Malcolm X had propagated about having learned of mainstream Islam only on reaching Mecca in April 1964; in fact, we find out here, he had for many months, even years, been tending in that direction. Reaching Mecca for Malcolm X was less a revelation than an opportunity to come out of the religious closet.

Middl East Quarterly, December 1998

I would say that this book is the most important book on Malcolm after the autobiography and Karl Evenzz's "The Judas Factor". Very well written and researched. This book focuses on the spiritual development of Malcolm and sheds light on Malcolm's Garveyite past, his blind faith in Elijah Muhammad, his conversion to orthodox Islam and the last year of his life.

"Angry black man"; "black Muslim militant". These are just some of the names that Malcolm X, who was assassinated 44 years ago, was called by journalists, other civil rights activists and the bigots who loved to turn his righteous anger against him.

Much has been written about Malcolm X's politics, and his resulting words have been appropriated by revolutionaries around the world to justify their causes. But this book focuses on his religious development.

De Caro Jr. presents a largely sympathetic and sensitive portrayal of Malcolm X. He is also balanced in his presentation of Islam as a faith tradition. The book is well-researched, with copious endnotes for each chapter.

What De Caro Jr. makes very clear is that the search for God and a faith that was far-reaching and comprehensive was always central to Malcolm X's life. "Malcolm fundamentally perceived religion as a wholistic experience that 'included every aspect of one's life - economic, political and social'" (p. 246). From his early years, his mother would take him to various churches to expose her children to various religious views within the Christian tradition.

The book's only weakness is De Caro Jr.'s tendency to overemphasize the influence of Garveyism, the Black Nationalist ideology Malcolm X's parents subscribed to and were activists for, in his life. While in a number of cases this analysis is warranted, in other places, I felt it was not necessarily so.

On The Side Of My People is a well-researched, well-written and fascinating portrayal of the spiritual side of Malcolm X, an aspect of his life largely overshadowed by the politics of his courageous quest for dignity for African-Americans.

It was fantastic to read a religious biography of Malcolm X. Although DeCaro does go over Malcolm X's political activities (it would be rediculous to do otherwise!), he presents Malcolm X's life in its religious context, for example outlining the ongoing tension between the Nation and Orthodox Islam and how this affected Malcolm, whereas most biographies do the exact opposite. His book focusses primarily around Malcolms two conversions - firstly to the Nation, and the second to orthodox Islam. He also outlines the religious melting pot that Malcolm X came out of, and shows how these influences helped mold and shape him throughout his life. In doing this, he gives Malcolm a lot more religious credit than past biographers have done, and points out some probable biases in "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" (remember, in this book Malcolm originally intended to show how Elijah Muhammad had miraculously and single-handedly saved him, and therefore probably didn't give himself due credit). DeCaro goes on to explain how Malcolms second conversion was not an instantaneous transformation that occurred when he set foot in Mecca, but rather the climax of a change that had been building for some time. For me, DeCaro's book was thorough and well balanced. He didn't try to portray Malcolm as a hero or a villian or anything else, but rather just presented his life from the point of view of his 'religousness'. The book is written from DeCaros PhD dissertation, so is very well referenced, and he is careful to point out his own biases. The only qualm I had was that DeCaro did not have a huge number of interviews with people who knew Malcolm, but he admits this himself in the introduction, and he more than makes up for it with his use of other primary sources such as FBI files, prison records etc. So yeah. I loved it. Read it.

It was fantastic to read a religious biography of Malcolm X. Although DeCaro does go over Malcolm X's political activities (it would be rediculous to do otherwise!), he presents Malcolm X's life in its religious context, for example outlining the ongoing tension between the Nation and Orthodox Islam and how this affected Malcolm, whereas most biographies do the exact opposite. His book focusses primarily around Malcolms two conversions - firstly to the Nation, and the second to orthodox Islam. He also outlines the religious melting pot that Malcolm X came out of, and shows how these influences helped mold and shape him throughout his life. In doing this, he gives Malcolm a lot more religious credit than past biographers have done, and points out some probable biases in "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" (remember, in this book Malcolm originally intended to show how Elijah Muhammad had miraculously and single-handedly saved him, and therefore probably didn't give himself due credit). DeCaro goes on to explain how Malcolms second conversion was not an instantaneous transformation that occurred when he set foot in Mecca, but rather the climax of a change that had been building for some time. For me, DeCaro's book was thorough and well balanced. He didn't try to portray Malcolm as a hero or a villian or anything else, but rather just presented his life from the point of view of his 'religousness'. The book is written from DeCaros PhD dissertation, so is very well referenced, and he is careful to point out his own biases. The only qualm I had was that DeCaro did not have a huge number of interviews with people who knew Malcolm, but he admits this himself in the introduction, and he more than makes up for it with his use of other primary sources such as FBI files, prison records etc. So yeah. I loved it. Read it.