Detailed but slow and politically pedestrian. Compares very unfavourably to Manning Marable’s “Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention” ( )

I liked Marable's Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention, and I like this one too. It's funny: two major biographies of Malcolm X in just ten years (2011-2020), Marable's winning the 2012 Pulitzer for history, the Paynes's winning the 2021 Pulitzer for biography. This one is significant for a few reasons. First, most importantly, Les Payne started gathering material for this in 1990 and interviewed numerous people still then alive who remembered Malcolm and other characters going back to the 1920s. Interviews with Malcolm's family, particularly his brothers, were very important here. Second, about half of the book covers Malcolm's life up till his release from prison. His family background, their travails, life in the early twentieth century for black Americans, the rise of the Nation of Islam, Garveyism, the Klan, etc., are all discussed in detail. Add to that the childhood, teenage years, and young adulthood of Malcolm are examined at length. For those, like me, who like more early biography in their biographies, this was excellent. Last, this means that Malcolm's public career is rushed through rather quickly, and somewhat out of order. This is a demerit for the Paynes's work. Marable went through Malcolm's career in chronological order and great detail. The Paynes bounced back and forth and spent much time on things like Malcolm's meeting with the Klan, a whole chapter nearly, and a lot of time on Malcolm's last days and the day of his assassination. Perhaps this is because of the reliance on interviews by the elder Payne. It adds great insights, and is well-written, but leaves many gaps. For sheer usefulness, I'd recommend Marable's biography. For a complete picture, I'd recommend you read this one as well. As somebody who is quite interested in W. D. Fard and the creation of the N.O.I., Payne's work is a new piece of the puzzle. Les Payne interviewed an elderly Christopher Alston of early Detroit who apparently knew Fard and his connections to the Moorish Science Temple and the rise of the early N.O.I. This interview is gold for people interested in Fard and hopefully can be deposited in a accessible library and/or a transcript released to an accessible repository. More information on Fard is needed. Still, for some reason, the Payne's buy the weird F.B.I. conclusion that Fard was a "white man" from New Zealand, when he probably wasn't of European descent and probably from South or Central Asia (maybe via New Zealand). The Paynes's don't reference important works on Fard by Arian, Morrow, or Evanzz (they have Evanzz's Judas Factor, but not his Messenger). But, these are personal quibbles. It is a good biography, but I would read Marable's first. ( )

A thorough, unflinching biography. The Paynes neither condemn nor adulate Malcolm X, but instead give a detailed recounting of his life from infancy to assassination.
I would have appreciated a little more detail on his home life with his wife and daughters and some of his later years, but it felt pretty complete as is.

It’s a masterful work of journalism.

A couple of notes on the audiobook:
- it’s long! Took me quite a while to get through, but...
- the narrator, Dion Graham, takes what could be a long, dry (the authors do a good job making sure it’s not dry) book and turns it into a nuanced, powerful telling. This is a case where I think the audio performance really adds to the experience

I read an audio copy courtesy of Libro.fm and the publisher. ( )

Detailed account not just of Malcolm X but of the various strands of Black activism, sometimes used as cover for outright criminal enterprises, from the beginning of the twentieth century up until his assassination in 1965. An impressive feat of journalism.
Two things that stand out for me are that religious cults are deeply misogynist; and that well-intentioned people can often be duped by corrupt organizations precisely because of their concern and commitment to social justice. ( )

Definitely not the book I would recommend if you haven't read the Autobiography first. While Payne definitely fills in some gaps in that work and presents some alternate information about Malcom's youth and his relationship with the Nation of Islam, there are large portions of his life glossed over. That said, I think this makes a good companion for readers who want to go deeper and are OK with a book more interested in facts than writing style. ( )