Malcolm X: By Any Means Necessary

Written by Walter Dean Myers

Narrated by Corey Allen

As a 14-year-old he was Malcolm Little, the president of his class and a top student. At 16 he was hustling tips at a Boston nightclub. In Harlem he was known as Detroit Red, a slick street operator. At 19 he was back in Boston, leading a gang of burglars. At 20 he was in prison.

 

It was in prison that Malcolm Little started the journey that would lead him to adopt the name Malcolm X, and there he developed his beliefs about what being Black means in America: beliefs that shook America then, and still shake America today.

 

Few men in American history are as controversial or compelling as Malcolm X. In this Coretta Scott King Honor Book, Walter Dean Myers, winner of a Newbery Honor and four-time Coretta Scott King Award winner, portrays Malcolm X as prophet, dealer, convict, troublemaker, revolutionary, and voice of Black militancy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Sep 8, 2020
• ISBN: 9781980079330

Walter Dean Myers

Walter Dean Myers was the New York Times bestselling author of Monster, the winner of the first Michael L. Printz Award; a National Ambassador for Young People's Literature; and an inaugural NYC Literary Honoree. Myers was recognized by every single major award in the field of children's literature. He was the author of two Newbery Honor Books and five Coretta Scott King Book Award winners. He was the recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults and a three-time National Book Award finalist as well as the first ever recipient of the Coretta Scott King–Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Reviews for Malcolm X

[Roger · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting and uncritical introduction to the life of Malcolm X. Relatively short and written at the young adult reading level. Readers can leave satisfied, or move on to a more in-depth biography.

[EJ Ross · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great audiobook and beautifully narrated. Very easy to follow along.

[erwinkennythomas · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Malcolm X: By Any Means Necessary by Walter Dean Myers is a provocative book. It tells the story of the controversial black leader Malcolm X. Malcolm Little was born in Omaha, Nebraska on May 19th, 1925. It was during the years of the Great Depression when his father was run over by a streetcar in Lansing, Michigan. His death could have been caused by a white supremacist group because his dad was a follower of Marcus Garvey.
While in Michigan, Malcolm was forced to live in a number of foster homes separated from his family, for his mother Louise was to be confined to a mental institution. Eventually he relocated to Boston, Massachusetts where he lived with Ella, an older sister. While in Boston he lived with other blacks and became a street wise kid. In the 1940’s he moved to New York City where he was involved with illegal schemes. And shortly after he was charged with breaking and entering and armed robbery and sentenced to prison. While serving time at Charlestown State Prison Malcolm converted to the Nation of Islam. By the early 1950’s he was paroled.
Malcolm’s quest at the Nation of Islam led him to Chicago, Illinois where he heard Elijah Muhammad, and was given his X soon after. He grew in stature and became a minister of New York Temple Number Seven. By the late 1950’s Malcolm married Sister Betty X in Lansing, Michigan with whom he had daughters. By the early 1960’s he heard rumors of Elijah’s adultery with his secretaries. So he was becoming estranged from the Nation of Islam, and met with Elijah to try to iron their differences.
By 1963 the nation witnessed the march of Washington D.C. led by Martin Luther King, Jr. that was a success. Malcolm X remained critical of this event. When President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22nd, 1963, Malcolm’s public comments led him to be silenced by the Nation of Islam. And in 1964, his split with the Nation of Islam was announced in the New York Times. Malcolm later formed his own organization called the Muslim Mosque, Inc. It was during this time that he had his first meeting with Martin Luther King, Jr. Later he went on a pilgrimage to Mecca, and returned as El Hajj Malik el Shabazz. Malcolm then announced the formation of the secular Organization of Afro-American Unity. In 1965 his house in Queens was firebombed. Later that year, Malcolm X was assassinated while giving a speech in Harlem’s Audubon Ballroom. Three members of the Nation of Islam were arrested for this crime, and in 1966 they were sentenced to life imprisonment.

[mhanover10 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I pretty much knew all of this but it was well written and interesting.

[erinchauff · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Malcolm X: By Any Means Necessary by Walter Dean Myers was published in 1993. It is a nonfiction biography appropriate for middle school and high school students. The 200-page book contains 20 pictures. One fascinating inclusion is a picture of a page in the FBI’s file on Malcolm X.
Walter Dean Myers has won several awards for his novels fabout African-American teens and middle schoolers. He is well respected as an author.
The scope of this book is focused and deep. The chronology in the back of the book charts Malcolm’s life alongside the major events going on in the United States. This is an interesting way to organize the timeline.
Myers’ bibliography contains 14 books, four newspaper articles and four periodicals. Several pages of photo credits are included. An index contains the main topics of the book.
Myers does not use many direct quotes in the book, which is strange. It would seem easy to add direct quotes from someone who spoke so prolifically. The book has a certain distance to Malcolm X, and this would add to his voice. The contents page uses vague chapter titles such as “A New Message” and “The Word on the Street.”
Because Malcolm X is inherently interesting and Myers is so well known among students, the book would appeal to students. A lot of good information is included; particularly, a chapter that compares Malcolm X to Dr. Martin Luther King.

[michaelredenbaugh · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Malcolm X: By Any Means Necessary
a biography by: Walter Dean Myers

If you’re like me, and know absolutly nothing about Malcolm X, then this book is for you. Malcolm X started out as Malcolm Little, born in Omaha, Nebraska. His father was a member of the Universal Negro Improvement Association. This is what really changed his whole life. He really just wanted to improve the standing of African-American families in America. He started his journey by joining the Nation of Islam. This really made a big impact. He help the nation grow into many thousand from just a few hundred. He was quite serious. So serious, in fact, that he took the pilgrimage to Mecca. This had some influence in his name change to El Hajj Malik el Shabazz. He felt this would help him feel closer to his religion. He left the Nation of Islam to found and lead his own African-American improvement association. When he was becoming more and more influencial, he started to receive death threats. He was so concerned that he started to carry a loaded gun in and around his house. I liked this book so I would recommend this book to people, it is explanatory and easy to read.