"Malcolm X: A Biography" is a historical and political analysis of the black leader's life and times, offering a detailed treatment of its subject's multifaceted story. Laid out chronologically, the book treats Malcolm's life from his birth through his childhood, adult life, work as a Civil Rights activist, and assassination.

Readers will learn about the torching of Malcolm's family's Lansing, MI, home when he was a young child and about the death of his father a few years later--both acts attributed to a white supremacist organization. They will learn of his participation in narcotics,...