Malcolm X, the famous African American activist, remains a figure of controversy years after his assassination in 1965. This book uses the embattled leader's own words to explore his life, from the early death of his father to his own untimely death. It also examines Malcolm's teachings, which at times countered the civil rights movement of Martin Luther King Jr. This biography uses primary sources to reveal a period of great turbulence and social discontent in the United States.