Review by Booklist Review
In a climate of renewed interest in Malcolm X, two new books take controversial and meditative points of view. The Judas Factor provides a detailed chronology of events following Malcolm X's religious conversion to the Nation of Islam. The stated purpose is to establish that the U.S. intelligence community had the motive, the means, and the opportunity to assassinate Malcolm X and that--with the help of an infiltrator, the "Judas"--they did. Evanzz has produced a valuable, clearly written book detailing Malcolm's growth as a leader in the African American community, his alliances with Martin Luther King, Jr., and foreign leaders from Castro to Nkrumah, and his relations with the hateful FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover. He talks of the fear of Malcolm's power felt by the FBI, the CIA, and the Nation of Islam. Clearly establishing the likelihood of U.S. government participation in his murder, this powerful document is most important as a social history of a revolutionary time. Malcolm X: In Our Own Image takes a more reflective stance as it presents various African American intellectuals' consideration of Malcolm X's significance and legacy. Each writer--from Amiri Baraka to Angela Davis to John Edgar Wideman--has a separate chapter to evaluate the political message of Malcolm X from black, gay, and feminist perspectives. Some of the essays are beautifully composed and soothing, while others are angry; all are thoughtful and lend valuable depth and solidity to the contemporary debate on the revered, manipulated, monumentalized, and commodified leader. Highly recommended for social science and black history collections. ~--Angus Trimnell
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this uneven but valuable collection of essays, 14 African American writers assess the legacy of Malcolm X, who, as freelance writer Wood suggests in a thoughtful meditation, ``is as much an American icon . . . as a Black one.'' In the first piece, poet Amiri Baraka sharply criticizes X filmmaker Spike Lee and others for ignoring class struggle; a better opener would have been political scientist Adolph Reed's capable examination of the ``rediscovery'' of Malcolm. Law professor Patricia Williams dissects Clarence Thomas's manipulation of the Malcolm X mystique, while novelist John Edgar Wideman artfully analyzes how author Alex Haley crafted the Autobiography of Malcolm X. Although Malcolm is praised, he is hardly lionized. Cornel West, director of African American Studies at Princeton, critiques Malcolm's Manichean views of race and sex, while others probe his lack of sympathy for his light-skinnned West Indian mother and for women in general. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Booklist Review
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
