A second-class intellect and a third-class criminal--Malcolm Little before Allah came into his life. More precisely, before the Black Muslims became his way of life. A poor kid suffering the effects of both racism and a bad attitude, Little was a nothing going nowhere fast.

Entering prison was most likely the best thing that could have happened to him. Little learned to read and communicate, made friends, and found a faith he’d believe in for the rest of his life. Part of that faith included people like Elijah Mohammed, the old leader who had very clear ideas about racism and the place of blacks in American society. Little liked Mohammed’s beliefs and added them to his own. In token of his new-found sense of black solidarity, he dropped the surname he’d been born with (calling it the slave-owner’s name) and dubbed himself Malcolm X.

Upon his release from prison, Malcolm X began rallying the troops, spewing violence and hatred for whites at each stop. Unlike Martin Luther King, Jr., he didn’t preach non-violent civil disobedience. Malcolm’s way was the call of the gun and the racial slur.

Then came the pilgrimage to Mecca. On his trip, Malcom X found Muslim pilgrims of all races and nationalities. His view changed to include in his rhetoric the grace of Islam. No matter what race you were, if you were a believing Muslim, you were okay. A man filled with hatred came home a man of peace, willing to work to find common ground and understanding between people.

This change of heart didn’t sit well with the Black Muslim organization, just then coming into its own as a political/terrorist force. Elijah Mohammed disowned Malcolm (once his star pupil), and the word went out--get the traitor.

Malcolm X was assassinated in 1965 while at a speaking engagement.

When the writer taking notes is Alex Haley (Roots, Queenie), there will be some license taken with the truth, you’d think. That doesn’t appear to be the case here, though; he neither skips over the good to make his subject seem tougher than he was nor sugar-coats the bad to canonize Malcolm. This is exciting reading--the transformation of a famous man, not once but twice. Everything is told breathlessly, as if each page will have a new surprise......and it is.

This is the best autobiography I’ve ever read. No other telling of the Malcolm X tale is anywhere near as compelling.

Final decision: The Autobiography of Malcolm X should be required reading in schools. Read it--and be sad for what Malcolm never had a chance to do.

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