Dear Great Book Guru, I just read a wonderful article about Spike Lee and his long career in controversial movie-making.  He has a new movie coming out next week “Da Five Bloods”, a story of veterans of the Vietnam War, but my all-time favorite of his was “Malcolm X….” such a fascinating subject!  Even now years later, I would love to learn more about Malcolm X.  Thoughts? A Fan of Spike Lee

Dear Fan of Spike Lee, Like you, I have always wanted to learn more about Malcolm X so I was very happy to discover Manning Marable’s MALCOLM X: A LIFE OF REINVENTION.  Marable researched the recorded facts of Malcom’s life for over twenty years and the picture he draws is quite different from  that of the poor, uneducated convict who found redemption through religion and the love of a good woman and, at the end of his life, gave up his racist views in a burst of universal love.  No- Marable tells us a far different story: a man who created a tawdry persona and exaggerated his criminal past to make his message more powerful - a man whose marriage was painfully unhappy - a man whose friends and family betrayed him at every turn - a brilliant international diplomat who walked and talked with kings and princes.  His assassination at age thirty-nine remains clouded by mystery with suggestions of police, FBI, CIA, religious and gang involvement. This is a great read and highly recommended for its portrait of an iconic figure and a chaotic time in American history.