"Every morning when I wake up, now, I regard it as having another borrowed day."

I just (moments ago) finished reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X. As with most books I have been reading, they were books I skimmed through in college just to write a paper. However I intend to go back and actually READ the whole book, in most cases.

Spike Lee was quoted on the cover as calling it "The most important book I'll ever read." While I don't feel comfortable using that statement, I will state that it is one of the most important books I've ever read. Coming from a hometown where the Harlem Globetrotters were denied service at a local restaurant I have seen racism my whole life. I attended and graduated from an all white school and can count on one hand the number of African Americans that lived in our town.

Racism has always been a presence in my life, not blatantly but cloaked as something else. Malcolm X even stated in his book that the white man, in most cases, didn't even realize he was racist until a circumstance came about and he reacted a certain way. I know that in 1965 race relations was a much more hot-button issue but the current issues surrounding Trayvon Martin's murder make it seem not so distant.

We are raised (or anyone who attended the public school I did was taught) to praise the work of Martin Luther King Jr. and to either fear (or in most cases ignore altogether) the work of Malcolm X. And the reason is clear, the general public of the time was "comfortable" with his so called "peaceful" protests. I remember writing a paper in the fifth grade praising MLK Jr. and receiving multiple honors for it. I knew a lot about Martin Luther King but I dare say I had never even heard the name Malcolm X. The things I had been taught or heard about Malcolm X did not make me want to read this book, but the circumstances of his life are heart wrenching. To read that Malcolm always expected die young, not out of fear but just as a fact of his life gives some insight into the life he led. I will not go into detail of the turmoil of his life because putting it into list form would be to belittle it. I encourage you to either read the book for yourself or at least google his background.

I also knew very little of the Muslim faith before reading this book and while I do not agree with their theology I have always admired their devotion. The last words of Malcolm's section of the book are "....all of the credit is due to Allah. Only the mistakes have been mine." His devotion to his God makes me embarrassed that I am not half as devoted to mine. I never thought when picking up this book to read it would leave me feeling this way. Of course I knew I would feel guilt, shame, pity, and even anger. However the feeling of needing to be closer to God....not something I expected to receive from this particular book.

I want terribly to tell you all of the things I learned but I wouldn't know where to start, I regret that I didn't highlight and make more notes as I went but had I done that I would've been another month finishing it. I will read it again and probably again and again. But my next task is to get my husband and sister to read it (never mind that they are both in college, this is more important).

I only wish I had read it sooner. Nearly everything I had previously learned about Malcolm X was put to bed in this book. So many harsh untruths that I had heard and some I probably just assumed were proven blatantly wrong. I understand that an autobiography never paints an ugly picture but if you won't believe his own words, believe Alex Haley's in the Epilogue. To sum it up, I suggest it...if you let it, it will change the way you see many things if nothing else it will change the way you see Malcolm X.