The Diary of Malcolm X: El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, 1964

In 1964, Malcolm X made two trips to Africa and theMiddle East. During those trips, he kept copious notes. This remarkable document, The Diary of Malcolm X El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, 1964, is comprised of those notes, along with editing, annotations, and commentary by editors Herb Boyd and Ilyasah Al-Shabazz. The Diary captures Malcolm X in all his comlexity, reveals some of his trepedations, and above all, reveals his humanity as he encounters a coterie of dignitaries, world leaders, and ordinary people who were mesmerized by his genius as he was in wonder of he often challenging new cultures he experienced from country to country. REaders will discover how significantly the Diary complements his autobiography, at times fillin in the blanks, expanding an incident, and adding context to moments sometimes only mentioned in passing in the autobiography. The heart of the book is Malcolm's impressions, his personal observations on the people he meets and the circumstances he encounters, his own feelings of trepidation and inadequacy. There are segments in which the book will be complemented by passages from Malcolm's autobiography, though in our book his immediate reactions have not been disturbed by editors. And in several ways and instances the diary amplifies the autobiography The Diary of Malcolm X is a transcended document. The editors, in their deliberations, careful annotations and commentary, have given us oxygen in the actual language of our brother and leader. The only question left is---- will we accept his daunting challenge.