By Any Means Necessary (Malcolm X Speeches and Writings) (Malcolm X Speeches \u0026 Writings) by Malcolm X

By Any Means Necessary (Malcolm X Speeches and Writings) (Malcolm X Speeches \u0026 Writings) Reviews

• 
  sheena d!

  not what you learned about X, if you even learned about him, in elementary school.
  
  this is a collection of his speeches, directly from his mouth.
  
  call me easily influenced but this book completely altered my feelings on gun-ownership and pacifism.
  
  revolution, fools!
• 
  Dave

  I'll say what I say to most people about Malcolm X (and keep in mind I grew up as a white suburban kid - luckily with a dad that taught me to find out things for myself and not rely on the words of others) - read Malxolm's actual speeches. Read and see his evolution. No one comes fully formed. And people rarely finish the way they started. These speeches give some (not total) but some measure of Malcolm's evolution. Even as someone that would have been outside the true understanding of Malcolm's struggle, if you pay attention to what he says and ignore the BS agenda's of others, you'd realize this cat needs to be on a pedestal just as high as MLK Jr's. It wasn't about violence for the sake of violence. It wasn't about killing "whitey". It was about not be unjustly held down and subjugated to others no matter what color or race or religion.
• 
  Michael Strode

  There is a documentary on Malcolm's life that one can occasionally find packaged with some copies of the movie Malcolm X. I consider it the finest documentary done regarding Malcolm's life because it bypasses narration or peers recounting their relationship or randomly inserted persons raising up how Malcolm affected their lives. All that the documentary includes is a series of speeches, lectures, news clips, and sound bites strung together which trace Malcolm's life from end to end.
  
  This book is a similar summation. Perhaps no finer text exists with a collection of Malcolm's writings that display his ability to grapple with the political and cultural conditions to arrive at new truths. It is sufficient in this world to simply be the stake one's flag in the ground and hold that position until death, but when one can be so public and still allow the world to know that your position has changed upon the arrival of new information; that you might have possibly been wrong and now you are publicly correcting your stance.
  
  This is the signature of a mature human being. One not lost in the leadership role assigned to them, but one whom has transcended and simply recognizes that they are a part of some larger and human and brilliant.
• 
  Shane

  it's hard to believe there are no reviews of this book here. perhaps my interest in malcolm x was a product of the "cult of personality". after all, my previous experience with the man and his historical impact was limited to the spike lee movie. but after reading this book, i found that there was another attraction (actually two): this is a man with a passion to see real justice in the world and this is a man seeking redemption (social, political, spiritual.) these are powerful symbols, and this collection of interviews and statements allows for some of these ideals to be seen. i'm not sure if this book is such a great piece of literature, in of itself. but this is one of the few writings of the man's own words, not filtered through the censor of academia. it is a necessary read for anyone who would pretend to be interested in 20th century american history.
• 
  Roger DeBlanck

  First published in 1970, By Any Means Necessary supplements the compilation of Malcolm’s speeches and statements published five years earlier as Malcolm X Speaks. This extraordinary volume reinforces Malcolm’s relentless dedication of fighting for his people at home and in Africa while also seeking brotherhood through his willingness to work with those of any race having a sincere commitment in wanting to solve the horror of racism and inequality in America and abroad.
  
  As was the case with every speaking engagement Malcolm conducted, he had a gifted ability to state the facts and express his truth with a logic that made refuting his message difficult. Even when disagreeing with him, it is hard to find error in his vast knowledge and logic. Whenever someone tried to undermine him, his peerless intelligence enabled him to respond with facts, examples, and experiences that silenced his opponents and made his audience reconsider and reflect, often expanding and changing their minds.
  
  “By any means necessary” is perhaps the most misunderstood and wrongly criticized message of Malcolm’s philosophy. It did not signify a call to violence, instead it was a refrain that embodied considering every method and tactic as viable, especially the power of the ballot, in making headway against defeating the evil of racism. Malcolm sought peace and brotherhood, but he argued that Blacks had every right and justification to defend their lives when facing grave threats.
  
  If the Klan could lynch, if the police could brutalize, if white supremacists could discriminate, and if the American government could start unjust wars against marginalized peoples without ever facing consequences for their violence, why were Blacks deemed criminal if they declared action to defend their lives? Why were whites deemed lawful for owning guns, while Blacks were stigmatized as radicals for wanting to have a gun?
  
  When reading Malcolm’s incredible words, you come to realize that perhaps he made his greatest impact by demanding we all take action to ensure every American is accepted. What is most admirable about Malcolm is how whenever anyone challenged his right to freedom and equality, he refused to back down and instead showed us how to rise with the integrity of our best self and defend our human dignity to belong.
• 
  Nicole Drapluk

  Really interesting to see Malcom’s philosophy develop over such a short period of time (the book only displays speech’s after his break with the Nation of Islam). The difference between his rhetoric from when he first broke with the Nation of Islam and after his trip to Africa is stark, however his dignified rage remained the same.
  
  I really appreciated as Malcom was grappling with different ideas and was ever changing, he never claimed to have all the answers and remained open to solutions.
  
  This book has pushed me think deeper and contemplate my role in organizing as white woman and where my energy should be allocated.
• 
  Jessica

  What can I say? I'm a sucker for controversial public figures and their writings. Good insight on his speeches. Read this, by any means necessary....
• 
  Daniel Ocón

  Malcolm X: I don't believe in segregation.
  
  Malcolm X a few years later: You know, I may have been wrong and I've changed my mind.
• 
  Jen Bracken-Hull

  I learned a lot.
  
  If prophets comfort the oppressed and are hard on oppressors, then I think for sure Malcolm X was a prophet. I would have enjoyed a little more historical context in the introductions to the speeches, but the intros were awesome for highlighting how Malcolm X was FOREVER puzzling over liberation and he was constantly educating himself and demonstrated humility when he changed his mind about things.
  
  This quote from James Baldwin captures something that shines through in this collection:
  
  "...Malcolm X was doing a debate with a very young sit-in student, and the radio station called me to moderate this discussion which I did. I was not needed, I must tell you. Malcolm was one of the most beautiful and one of the most gentle men I met in all my life."
  
  - James Baldwin, "The Civil Rights Movement Was a Slave Rebellion," speech at UC Berkeley (1979)
• 
  R Bradley

  Easy quick read. Was very interesting as I wanted to know more about Malcolm X, and his life and what he did. This book offered a quick journey of his life throughout the years and his ideas and how they changed, and the impact he left on many in the world. Good book. I would recommend it to anyone interested in Malcolm X, the U.S. Civil rights movement, or anyone wanting a quick informative read about someone regarded as a very influential person.
• 
  Qynn Perkins

  Was a great book!
• 
  Sham Al-Ghazali

  A collection of speeches and interviews by one of the greatest men in history. Reading Malcolm X’s thoughts on the movement, and politics elsewhere, before and after him leaving the Nation of Islam.
• 
  Laura

  Malcolm X è considerato da molte persone una figura controversa. Io non sono d'accordo, egli era un rivoluzionario e come tale si comportava. Leggendo questa raccolta di discorsi sono riuscita a farmi un'idea più precisa del suo pensiero rispetto a quella che mi ero fatta dopo aver letto l'
  autobiografia.
  Malcolm non aveva idee assolute, egli era sempre pronto a mettere in discussione il suo pensiero e da questa raccolta emerge molto bene uno dei cambiamenti più importanti della sua vita da attivista, ossia il suo distacco dalla Nation of Islam. A tal proposito sono presenti tre discorsi tenuti da Malcolm in seguito alla fondazione dell'Organizzazione per l'Unità afro-americana (OAAU) che ho trovato i più intensi, sia per il suo coinvolgimento emotivo sia perché al loro interno sono presenti tutti i punti cardine della sua ideologia.
  
  Esprimere un mio parere sulle sue teorie penso sia superfluo oltre che inutile, visto che solo leggendo di lui e della sua vita si può capire il personaggio. Vorrei però concentrarmi sull'accusa che più spesso le persone (in gran parte bianche) mossero a Malcolm da quando iniziò il suo attivismo: egli era considerato estremista e possibilmente violento. Tralasciando il fatto che leggendo ciò che diceva si capisce perfettamente che il suo era un atteggiamento volutamente e giustamente provocatorio, il punto è che, come dice lui stesso, non si cambia il sistema senza distruggere il sistema. Le accuse di estremismo sono le stesse che vengono mosse da sempre a chiunque cerchi di rivendicare i propri diritti fondamentali, come le donne, le persone nere, le minoranze in generale. È sempre sorprendente rendersi conto che le dinamiche sociali che ostacolano i cambiamenti radicali sono le stesse da così tanti anni.
  
  In conclusione penso che leggere Malcolm X non sia soltanto utile allo scopo di conoscere la storia delle battaglie condotte dalle persone nere (che comunque è necessario se non obbligatorio per le persone bianche), ma si tratta di avere un modello a cui ispirarsi. Malcolm è, per me, una figura esemplare alla quale ogni attivista (o aspirante tale) dovrebbe fare riferimento.
• 
  Christina

  So well done. I knew nothing about the man except a few things here and there as mentioned in pop culture. Now I'm acquainted with/the different periods of his life, beginning with his childhood, into young adulthood where the worldly path lured Malcolm into petty crime and jail, but he didn't languish there. To the contrary, it seemed Malcolm X soared spiritually and intellectually after prison. I was fascinated to learn of his pivotal role in growing the Nation of Islam in America both as a movement and a religious organization during this time, but also that he was saved by its discipline and order. He struck me as a thinker and a philosopher throughout, but one who could not be contained by mere theory. I would have liked a little more insight into what made Malcolm so uncompromising in his path toward bettering the lives his people. How some people are born to lead and are gifted, powerful orators is a thing of fascination for me! Eventually he'd travel the world speaking and garnering the respect of world leaders and giving high-profile interviews. In his last years, as described in this book, he seemed to have become more transcendent and more of a unifier having parted ways with the Nation of Islam (but not the religion of Islam). There's sadly always an early ending for people like him in this country. When we should ever be so stunned with humility and curiosity so as to embrace a figure like this, instead of silencing them, we might actually evolve as a country
• 
  Glenn

  Malcolm X should absolutely be remembered for his confident and militant leadership, and for the huge positive impact he had, and continues to have, on the black movement.
  
  For most of his active years, many of his views were very badly misplaced, and he held a number of reactionary ideas including antisemitism and misogyny towards women. In the last year of his life, after splitting from the Nation of Islam, his views matured rapidly. This book provides some evidence for the huge shifts in his thinking.
  
  He became a more militant anti-capitalist, and began to acknowledge the connections between the oppression of Black people, women, and the working class. Sadly, he was killed before he came to the conclusions that he increasingly appeared to be headed towards. In particular, his analysis of the class system was still poor and incomplete, and therefore his conclusions on the nature, tasks, and demands of the movement remained flawed and disjointed.
  
  The format (a collection of speeches and, mostly, Q&As) may be an unfamiliar and off-putting one for some, and doesn't exactly make for the best reading (since his ideas are not presented in any real order, and there is some repetition) but with such scant evidence of this important period in Malcolm X's life, we can't be picky.
• 
  Sarah El Massaoudi

  Could this book be anything but amazing?
  It's a collection of speeches and interviews that Malcolm X gave in his last year. Being his passionate, funny, smart, unapologetic... self. I enjoyed reading this book so much, especially because it also reflects the process Malcolm was going through and the evolution of his views.
  
  It always makes me sad to think about what could've happened if revolutionaries like him weren't killed and hadn't left us prematurely.
  
  May Allah grant him Jannah! And may his legacy stay alive until real change has come, by any means necessary!
  
  (PS: Although you can read it without, I would still recommend reading his autobiography first because it will be easier to understand certain references in this book)
• 
  Craig Wilcox

  As mentioned in other reviews, I'm just a white guy from Idaho. My mommy was scared by the ideas of Malcom X and put MLK Jr. on a pedestal. And yes, I'm still partial to the idealism of MLK Jr., but he wasn't a perfect man and after reading this book, I was all like, "Dude, I do understand where you're coming from." Still not a fan of the divisive nature of Malcom's ideas, but I'll never know what it was like to be a black man in America now, then or ever. So reading his words did help deepen my understanding of America as a whole and how the treatment of certain Americans would prompt these feelings.
• 
  Nikki Deal

  “It is we who have fought your battles for you, and have picked your cotton for you. We built this house that you’re living in. It was our labor that built this house. You sat beneath the old cotton tree telling us how long to work or how hard to work, but it was our labor, our sweat and our blood that made this country what it is, and we’re the only ones who haven’t benefitted from it. All we’re saying today is, it’s payday — retroactive.”
• 
  Francesca Walker

  Moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue. So much better than the autobiography, hearing his own words and progression of beliefs after leaving Elijah Muhammad frames him so much more by his travels and accumulated brother and sisterhoods. Also the CIA’s murder of him hand in hand with the French’s disrespect and outcasting is something that is not nearly discussed enough.
• 
  isaac

  this book should be required reading for members of ANY oppressed group. i can say in earnest that malcolm x is one of the most intelligent men to have walked this earth, and the biggest philosophy that i’ll be taking with me from this book is the importance of looking INSIDE your “group” for help, NOT seeking or expecting help or approval OUTSIDE (from the oppressor).
• 
  Peter Buell

  If you have only heard of Malcom X through others...
  
  Do yourself a favor and honor the man by reading and listening to his own words.
  
  The man is a true American hero. We could really use his insights now.
• 
  Yusra Traveler

  Malcolm best speeches -
• 
  Rachel

  This book was alright. It could have gone in depth more about his life. It could have explained more about how he rose up and became the person he once was.