By Any Means Necessary

I think the best way to describe this great book is a few excerpts. "... by any means necessary. That's our motto. We want freedom by any means necessary. We want justice by any means necessary. We want equality by any means necessary." "We won't organize any black man to be a Democrat or a Republican because both of them have sold us out." "Those who claim to be enemies of the system were on their hands and knees waiting for [Democratic president] Johnson to get elected because he's supposed to be a man of peace; and he has troops invading the Congo [in Africa] right now and invading Saigon [Vietnam]...." "This political, economic, and social system of America was produced from the enslavement of the black man and that particular system is capable only of reproducing that out of which itself was produced." "No, you have got no friends in Washington, D.C.... You've got friends in Africa, friends in Asia, friends in Latin America." "[The] thing that I would like to impress upon every Afro-American leader is that no kind of action in this country is ever going to bear fruit unless that action is tied in with the overall international struggle." (In one of his speeches, Malcolm read the founding statement of the Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU) which he led, adding his own comments. Malcolm didn't write the statement himself; it was developed by a committee of the new group.) "[quoting OAAU] 'A first step in the program to end the existing system of racist education is to demand that the 10 percent of the [New York city] schools the Board of Education will not include in its [desegregation] plan be turned over to and run by the Afro-American community itself.'" "[quoting OAAU] 'The [Black] community must ... wage an unrelenting struggle against police brutality.'" "Wherever you have organized crime, that type of crime cannot exist other than with the consent of the police, the knowledge of the police and the cooperation of the police.... [Criminals] pay the police off so that they will not get arrested. I know what I'm talking about - I used to be out there." "[quoting OAAU] 'We propose to support and organize political clubs, to run independent candidates for office, and to support any Afro-American already in office who answers to and is responsible to the Afro-American community.' We don't support any black man who is controlled by the white power structure." I also recommend "Malcolm X Talks to Young People". (See my review.) I recommend the ads in the back of the book. Pathfinder Press is defined by a political goal, not commercial success. It aims to provide a platform for revolutionary leaders speaking in their own words. If you like one book, you will probably like others.

By Any Means Necessary consists of lectures (including responses to audience questions) as well as interviews by reporters both hostile and friendly.Malcom's revolutionary strategy for confronting and overcoming the oppression of African-Americans in the 1960s is applicable today for the working class and oppressed people everywhere.

Much has been written about Malcolm X, perhaps the foremost black leader in the latter half of the 20th century. But the best way to really learn about Malcolm, I think, is to read his own words. Then read them again. Malcolm was - and remains - so very popular because he possessed the gift of being able to cut directly to the heart of issues. He could describe them in terms that people can immediately understand. His ability to do just that is aptly compiled in this collection of speeches and an interview in the Young Socialist magazine. Malcolm discusses the loathsome nature of capitalism, the folly of the Democratic Party and the interrelationship of struggles in the Third World to the fight for black rights in this country. While scholars have written much about Malcolm's abilities as a public speaker, this book shows that Malcolm was much more. He was a doer. He was an organizer of Harlem blacks, and he constantly urged black people elsewhere to fight for their rights. Ultimately, it was because of his deeds as well as his ideas for which he was slain.

It will open your eyes to truths hidden for decades. Malcolm X made me see what crimes to humanity my race (yes i'm white) has comitted. But it goes deeper than that. There are civil right movements in all the countries of the world, and this book inspires and reminds us of what HAS TO BE DONE!I love it!