"The Autobiography of Malcolm X" or "Born on the Fourth of July"?

[NYdemocrat089]

I want to read one of these books for a class I am taking, but I can't decide which. Which one do you recommend?

[dramachick]

1. "The Autobiography of Malcolm X"

It's a very good book, and it'll clear up misconceptions that are spread by people who don't really know anything about him. Malcolm's life was a wondrous arc.

[MadMaddie]

4. I agree....he is misrepresented all of the time..

I watched the movie the other day and I have seen many of the documentaries on him and learned that there is a lot more to him than what some would have you believe....

[MADem]

2. For class, definitely X--it is a PAGE TURNER!!!

It's always a plus when school work is "must-read!"

[The_Casual_Observer]

3. Obvious answer, take the time and read them both.

Both were written in the same decade, they provide insight into the two great challenges of the 60's, civil rights and Vietnam.

[applegrove]

5. Read Malcolm X. Shows someone who lept to another level every

decade of his life. Was about to make another leap when he was murdered. And he was at that point quite a leader of his time. You can only wonder what would have come next. In the next 5 decades of his life. Not perfect by any means. But learning life lesson and synergizing - that man did better than just about anybody.

[catbert836]

6. Malcolm X

I read it a while ago, but as I recall, it really was a page-turner, moreso than pretty much any other non-fiction I've read (admittedly, I don't read non-fiction all that much).
Malcolm himself wasn't a really good writer, but that's what he had Alex Haley for. It's a story of pain and passion, and you'll find yourself getting really into the story. I had a seriously deep understanding of Malcolm X by its end. Nowadays, we think of him as a violent, race-baiting, reverse-discrimination wacko, and this book debunks that perception extremely well.

[HuckleB]

7. X (eom)