Thankfully, that is not the purpose of his book review. Reading his autobiography made me reflect on the lessons of his life and naturally, being in my line of profession, I wanted to take some of the lessons of his ‘career’ to see if there are any principles that can adopted.

Malcolm X was a complicated man with an equally complicated life and I will not do his full life justice in this post. A far cry with from his ‘hustler days’ which led to his incarceration. We then travel the literary journey to see the evolution of Malcolm Little to Malcolm X, after a custodial sentence, to the public figure that we know of him – an eloquent, educated and spiritual man often invited to some of the leading educational establishments to give academic lectures. It’s inception describes a complicated and very troubled start in life (not least because of the murder of his father, his mother’s battles with her mental health and his time spent in a broken childcare system) to an equally worrying and troubled adolescent – mired in a world of criminality. The book journey’s the life of Malcolm X. This book has made an indelible impression on me for many reasons which I will explore. I wanted to kick off our book reading with The Autobiography of Malcolm X. F.What Malcolm X can teach us about a career - The Autobiography of Malcom X “This book will have a permanent place in the literature of the Afro-American struggle.” -I. a brilliant, painful, important book.” - The New York Times Praise for The Autobiography of Malcolm X It is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand America.

The Autobiography of Malcolm X stands as the definitive statement of a movement and a man whose work was never completed but whose message is timeless. His fascinating perspective on the lies and limitations of the American Dream, and the inherent racism in a society that denies its nonwhite citizens the opportunity to dream, gives extraordinary insight into the most urgent issues of our own time. In the searing pages of this classic autobiography, originally published in 1964, Malcolm X, the Muslim leader, firebrand, and anti-integrationist, tells the extraordinary story of his life and the growth of the Black Muslim movement.

ONE OF TIME’S TEN MOST IMPORTANT NONFICTION BOOKS OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

The autobiography of malcolm