Seventh Child: A Family Memoir of Malcolm X

Malcolm X was more than just a prominent civil rights activist. Amongst many things, he was a family man, a charismatic Muslim preacher, a spokesman for the Nation of Islam, a black nationalist, and the founder of the Muslim Mosque Inc. and the Organization of Afro-American Unity. He was controversial, influential, and often times misunderstood. It is unfortunate that many people today regard him negatively, as a racist, an apostate, a criminal, an extremist, or all of the above. But who is this Malcolm X? What did this man stand for? What were his intentions? And what did he accomplish? In this book, Rodnell P. Collins, Malcolm X's own nephew, addresses these questions. But this book is not solely focused on Malcolm X. Although he is the central figure in this book, Collins also writes about Malcolm's internal and external family members, and explains the impact they had on him, and vise-versa. Collins tells us about Malcolm's family background, including a little bit about himself. Personally, I found the story of the Little family very fascinating. I think readers will be pleased with the information Collins provides, such as the revelation of Malcolm X's first American ancestor, who was kidnapped from Africa and sold as a slave to the Little family. You'll get somewhat of a brief history lesson on the slave trade in America, here. Writing from an eye-witness account, Collins touches base on many important subjects regarding Malcolm's life; family, religion, politics, ambitions, etc. Collins also explains why Malcolm X rejected his Christian religion and instead accepted the teachings of "prophet" Elijah Muhammad by joining the Nation of Islam. Other topics include; racism in America, corruption of the NOI, Malcolm's Assassination, Spike Lee's movie, and much more. In the last pages of the book, you will find a few never-before-published letters from Malcolm and his family, as well as some disturbing letters from Christian extremists of the KKK. Although an excellent book, there's only one minor flaw in my opinion. And that is the author's tendency to sometimes over-exalt his uncle. For instance, he praises Malcolm for being an intelligent and open-minded individual who saw through the fatuity of black Christians and their faulty beliefs, which prompted Malcolm's conversion to Elijah Muhammad's distorted Muslim sect. But what about Malcolm's own fatuous belief that Elijah Muhammad was divine? Even after Malcolm X was well informed about Elijah's corruption and contradictions, he still had faith in him. I understand where the author is coming from, but I still find it a bit hypocritical, albeit it's nothing too serious and it certainly won't diminish the importance of this book. This may not be the most elaborate book on Malcolm X, but it's certainly a good one. I highly recommend it.

This book gave me a greater appreciation of Malcom X as a world leader and a human being. I really enjoyed reading this book during a visit to the Middle East. If you are really into Malcom X and want to know more about him and who he was, do yourself a favor and read this book.

It's fascinating to read the family stories of a great man, whose life contributed much to our freedoms and tolerant communities. My children have grown up believing that we can all achieve our dreams, and that anything is possible if we are part of the brotherhood of man. I am glad to see this remarkable man finally receive the accolades to which he is so entitled. Thank you, Rodnell, for coming to grips with the pain that his death caused your family, and giving the rest of us this gift.

Explores for the first time the brother and sister relationship brought out very touchingly

my first book about the subject,found it very interesting and relevent to the time.his philosophy resonates from the pages thru his sisters words.her love for her family is apparent throughout the book.his words continue to speak to the masses and his intelligence shines through .love the book. will pick up the autobiography .malcolm x words still very relevant to race relations in america