Malcom X - By All Means Necessary

Malcolm X

By All Means Necessary

A Biography by Walter Dean Myers

By All Means Necessary 

Summary
By All Means Necessary is a biography of American Civil Rights activist Malcolm X. The book discusses every aspect of how Malcolm rose to become such an influential figure during the 1960's and 70's. From his roots as the son of a prominent African-American Rights Activist to his rise as the head of the Nation of Islam, Myers touches upon Malcolm's journey of self discovery in a society where people of coloured skin were seen as second class citizens.

Malcolm's Parents
Louise Little and Earl Little

Malcolm X, born Malcolm Little, was the youngest of a family of 5 living in the American South. As a child, Malcolm's family was active in the fight for African-American civil rights. His father, Earl Little, was a prominent Christian Preacher and Activist who also followed of the teachings of Marcus Garvey. This made him and his family a target of racism. The Little family was forced to move frequently due to racism from neighbours and it even went as far as the family having to watch their house burn down in the middle of the night.

During his young adult life he moved to Boston and frequently visited other large American cities such as New York and Philadelphia. It was in these cities that he developed knowledge of "the street" and eventually ran into trouble with the police. He was caught in a house robbery and served eight years of his ten year sentence. It was during his time in prison that he decided to enlighten his mind and was eventually introduced to the "Nation of Islam". It is through this organization that he developed his leadership skill and  became the well known Civil Rights Activist that he is today.

Malcolm X with Eli Muhammad
Head of the Nation of Islam

With the guidance of his mentor, Eli Muhammed, he was able to influence hundreds of thousands of African Americans to join the Nation of Islam and fight for equality. Even though some may disagree with the methods and principles he proposed as to which equality could be attained, it is no question that he is one of the most influential pioneers of African American Civil Rights in the United States.

Malcolm X with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Writing Style
Myers' writing style is simple and easy to digest. He is able to summarize major events into only three or four pages, choosing only the most significant aspects of the story to include within the text. He also uses the odd black and white picture to depict some of the people or events that he describes within his writing.
The book is written in a Third-Person narrative where Myers chronologically states the events of Malcolm X's life. From his childhood in the U.S. Mid-West to his assassination in 1965, Myers is able to retell the major steps in Malcolm X's life.

Effectiveness

By All Mean Necessary effectively retells the journey of Malcolm X's rise to influentially during the period of American Civil Rights. The book does an excellent job of giving just enough detail that the reader can grasp the main idea of the text while keeping it brief and concise. It is structured chronologically and touches upon only the most significant events of Malcolm X's life. Myers effectively references other activists and major events of the time that any reader reader would be able to relate to.

Rating
I would give this book a rating of 3.5 out of 5. I would recommend it to another person in my age group because it discusses the obstacles that the pioneers of African-American Civil Rights faced so that we could live in the equal, yet imperfect, society that we live in today. It gives the readers a glimpse of how life as second class citizens in the United States felt like. It allows readers to see how the origins of the issues of racism and inequality amongst African Americans came about and enables them to connect these issues with the racial injustices that are prevalent in the media today.

Bias
I chose to read this book because I wanted to know about the man behind the infamous name of Malcolm X. I did not know anything about him other than the fact that he fought for the civil rights of African Americans during the same time period as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.. My goal for this book was to learn as much as I could about the a man who has always been shrouded in mystery in my eyes. The only personal bias that I have is my interest in learning about the civil rights movements of several nations and the revolutions that followed suit.

Walter Dean Myers was alive during the time period where Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam were quickly gaining momentum. He lived minutes away from Harlem, the heart of African American culture in New York City. He was able to see first hand the issues that Malcolm X tackled, the many speeches and debates that he was a part of, and he was also able to see the decline of the man who once had tremendous influence over thousands of individuals. He could have very easily added some of his own commentary about Malcolm X in his writing, however, I was not able to see any bias coming from the author anywhere in the text. Myers did an excellent job in stating only the facts about Malcolm X and refrained from using any personal biases that he may have had.

Author Influences

Walter Dean Myers
Author of By All Means Necessary 

Walter Dean Myers was an African-American non-fiction writer. He was born in August 1937 and recently passed away in July of last year. He was alive during the time of the American Civil Rights Movement and lived in Manhattan, New York, minutes away from Harlem, the borough where Malcolm X and most other African Americans lived. Myers was able to experience first hand the racial injustices that were described within the book. He was also able to see first hand the works of the Civil Rights Activists of his day. Myers' background in the non-fiction and young adult fiction genres allows him to skillfully retell the life of Malcolm X whilst keeping his writing interesting and concise.

Connections

Malcolm X giving his famous speech
"By All Means Necessary"

By All Means Necessary touches upon several real-world issues that can still be seen in our society today. Racial segregation, racial profiling and unjust imprisonment are just a few of the issues that are mentioned in the book. Racism was extremely prominent in the United States for hundreds of years. Many notable activist have fought against this grave injustice and Malcolm X is one that who is notable because of his extreme stance on the topic. Though some may not agree with his principles, his goals of abolishing racial injustices is widely accepted. He fought for the equal treatment of African-Americans within the United States.
It is true that over the past few decades, there have been major strides in the issue of equality in the United States, however, some of the injustices that were present in 1960's can still be seen in our so-called "forward thinking" society today. A slew of recent protests turned riots in the United States have too frequently been recurring headlines in the news. Names such as Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown have become household names. The stories of their questionable deaths are hot topics amongst the news and social media. Movements such as #BlackLivesMatter, the Ferguson Protests and the Baltimore Protests are the results of people fighting for their deaths and many are once again questioning the racial equality in the United States. Even though events such as these are unfortunate, they begin a conversation on topics that are too often pushed aside and they bring awareness to masses about the injustices that are still alive today.