Words from the achiever
“My interest in Islam started when I was a freshman at UCLA and I got the opportunity to read The Autobiography of Malcolm X, and it really made me understand that there was a lot more to monotheism than what I knew being raised as a Roman Catholic. I found in Islam that I certainly had a limited view of what monotheism was about, and it made me curious enough to read the Koran and see that it probably was something that I needed to investigate more completely. I embraced Islam basically after reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X, which gave me a different perspective on monotheism and the history of religions. I think The Autobiography of Malcolm X really inspired me to know more and to emulate the positive growth that Malcolm X went through. He started out on a very negative path. He was a thief and someone involved in the underworld, and he grew out of that. His exposure to the teaching of the Nation of Islam made him want to change, and then when he saw that the Nation of Islam had some problems, he put that behind him, and through Islam — orthodox Islam — he found a better path, and he never stopped trying to improve himself and increase his knowledge. I think that is a great example for anyone.”
About the book
Malcolm X’s searing memoir recounts his transformation from a bitter, self-destructive petty criminal into an articulate political activist, an archetypal journey from ignorance and despair to knowledge and spiritual awakening.