Decades after he was killed in 1965, Malcolm X, the famous American activist, remains a figure of controversy. This essential biography uses primary sources--the embattled Black leader's own words and writings--to explore his often-misunderstood life, from the early death of his father to the days leading up to his assassination. It also examines Malcolm's teachings, which at times countered the civil rights movement of Martin Luther King Jr. The accessible text and historical photographs aid in helping the reader understand more about the United States of the 1950s and 1960s and the work of civil rights activists.