Where do you go to read book reviews? Are they needed? What do you think about the reviews Amazon posts with thier books? Do you miss Black Issues Book Review magazine or more extensive book coverage from Essence Mag? I was just thinking about book reviews recently and shared some of my thoughts in a recent blog post: http://aalbc.it/blackbookreviews

I'm getting ready to take on the epic biography of Malcolm X, the recent release of which coincided with the death of its author, Manning Marable. I am anxious to discover what new truths are revealed about this icon, and I will probably do my version of a review of the book.

Well, I've plowed through about as much as I can on the massive Malcolm X. bio and I'm not encouraged to go further. So far, I've learned nothing new about him, having read Alex Haley's book on him and seen Spike Lee's movie, and checked out excerpts from the other works about him and, above all, having been around during Malcolm's hey day, I was able to remember how he rose from obscurity to national fame. I don't know how many times I saw him on TV talk shows back in the 60's, doing his mesmerizing schtik, winking his eye at other Blacks as he ridiculed and destroyed his white and black detractors. How can I forget what I was doing when television programming was interrupted to report his assassination??

Not surprising that he has become a legend, thanks to the spin put on the personal history that follows his rise from petty criminal to Muslim minister. In any case, Malcolm X was, indeed, a monumental figure and deserves the accolades if for no other reason than they compensate for the way he was eventually betrayed by so many that he trusted. Unfortunately, his wife, Betty, emerges as less than stellar in his life story. IMO.

Manning Marrable, to be sure, deserves recognition for having compiled this latest saga on a black man who had such a great historical impact. But, for students of history and well-informed people, the book represents nothing more than a re-hashing elaboration of Malcolm's life, stripped of much of the romanticism that Alex Haley imbued his collaboration with, and which subsequent truth seekers have already debunked.

Hey Cynique I have a reviewer who will do a review of Marable’s book.

I have not read the book myself but I hear Marable related a story of Malcolm having sex with a white man for money. As a consequence, Marable has been hit, understandably, with some criticism. I suspect you did not get this far into the bio – unless you heard that story previously.

Actually, I did get that far in the book, and reading about these alleged homosexual encounters didn't really shock me because I attributed it to the "hustler" lifestyle Malcolm was leading at the time and such behavior came with the territory. The man in question was not a stranger to Malcolm but was an older acquaintance he was trying to manipulate and enlist as a patron to be there to bail him out of all the trouble he was always getting into.

What was of more interest to me was Malcolm's complaints about the sexual demands of his wife who found him to be an unsatisfactory sex partner. But, again, this was something I had read about before.

Right here, Troy...

http://newsone.com/entertainment/books-entertainment/book-review-club/ccarneynunes/want-to-hide-something-from-african-americans/