01
Why it matters
Its original reporting adds detail and nuance to an iconic political life.
2020 selection · Nonfiction
The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X
A biography built from decades of interviews with people who knew Malcolm X across every stage of his life.
02
Read this if…
You want deeply sourced civil-rights biography.
03
Ideas inside
Malcolm Xcivil rightsBlack historypolitical change
Get or borrow
Continue with this book.
Affiliate disclosure: We may earn a commission when you purchase through these links, at no extra cost to you. Editorial selections are independent.
Further reading
Read the critics
Independent reviews and criticism from established publications. Links open at the original outlet.
Primary record
Verify the selection
Every inclusion traces back to the organization that made the selection.
National Book Award for Nonfiction — official winner recordOfficial record↗ (opens in a new tab)NPR Books We Love — official recommendation recordOfficial record↗ (opens in a new tab)NPR Books We Love — official recordOfficial record↗ (opens in a new tab)Continue reading
From the same conversation
Punks: New & Selected Poems
- National Book Award for Poetry
- NPR Books We Love
New and selected poems move through Black and queer history, music, art, love, and political struggle.
Brown Girl Dreaming
- National Book Award for Young People's Literature
- NPR Books We Love
A verse memoir recalls Woodson's childhood in South Carolina and New York during the civil-rights era.
The Yellow House
- National Book Award for Nonfiction
- The New York Times — 10 Best Books
- +1
A family memoir anchored in a New Orleans East home destroyed after Hurricane Katrina.