'Abdu'l-Baha (1844-1921), Head of the Baha'i Faith from 1892-1921, wrote, "Truthfulness is the foundation of all the virtues of the world of humanity. Without truthfulness, progress and success in all of the worlds of God are impossible for a soul. When this holy attribute is established in man, all the divine qualities will also become realized."
This "holy attribute" is as essential to the process of understanding historical figures as it is to the development of the personal soul. James. W. Loewen argued this point eloquently in his "Lies My Teacher Told Me". Loewen critiques the tendency toward "heroification" of historical figures. He describes "heroification" as "a degenerative process (much like calcification) that makes people over into heroes. Through this process, our educational media turn flesh-and-blood individuals into pious, perfect creatures without conflicts, pain, credibility, or human interest".
The late Manning Marable's Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention provides a sterling example of a commitment to truth-telling about his subject. The book "makes it plain" as brother Malcolm would say. Marable acts as a kind of freedom fighter, in this case fighting to free Malcolm the man from Malcolm the myth. This includes myths propagated by Malcolm himself in his celebrated Autobiography. For example, Marable argues that the Autobiography greatly exaggerates Malcolm's criminal history in order to emphasize the regenerative power attributed to the teachings of Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad.
Marable takes the reader on a journey from the Garveyism of Malcolm's parents to the moment of Malcolm's murder, with the concept of "reinvention" as an organizing theme. From "Malcolm Little" to "Malcolm X", from "Minister Malcolm" to civil rights martyr, what emerges is the story of a man figuring out who he is and who he wants to become. Marable does a masterful job of describing the familial, social, cultural and politic contexts that influenced Malcolm's numerous reinventions as he worked and reworked his sense of self and public image. Malcolm's existential struggle is so palpable that the very pages of this book appear to perspire.
Article comments
1 - leila
Can't wait to read this book now. Historiography---and unravelling hagiography---are so fascinating to me. It's one of the reasons I loved "The First Circle" and "From Copper to Gold" so much.
2 - Phillipe Copeland
I'm glad to hear you're going to read the book. I look forward to hearing your thoughts about it. Come back and leave your comments for the benefit of others!
3 - Sojourner Marable Grimmett
Great review! Thank you!
4 - Phillipe Copeland
Ms. Grimmett, thank you. The real thanks belong to the illustrious author!