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

n 1964, Malcolm X (El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz) made two trips to Africa and the Middle East. During those trips, he kept copious notes and those notes, along with editing, annotations, and commentary by Herb Boyd and Ilyasah Shabazz, comprise the whole of this remarkable diary.

"From the pages of his Diary," said his daughter Ilyasah Shabazz, "we hear his voice distilled and pure, devoid of outside interference, manipulation or intent. With his Diary, the entire world can now accurately assess the value, contribution and magnitude of Malcolm X."

And the Diary captures Malcolm in all his complexity, reveals some of his trepidations, and above all his humanity as he encountered a coterie of dignitaries, world leaders, and ordinary people who were as mesmerized by his genius as he was in wonder of the often challenging new cultures he experienced from country to country.

Readers will discover how significantly the Diary complements his autobiography, at times filling in the blanks, expanding an incident, and adding context to moments sometimes only mentioned in passing in the autobiography.