On Reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X in Prison

There are so many reasons to read – and reread – The Autobiography of Malcolm X. But for this episode, we’re revisiting the book with the perspectives of readers who are, or were, incarcerated. Malcolm X’s story isn’t just radical for its narrative of change and self-improvement; it also encourages readers to think more critically about the prison system itself. 

You can read a transcript of this episode on our website.

• Check out our booklist with titles related to The Autobiography of Malcolm X.
• Learn more about the work that BPL’s Justice Initiatives does for patrons who are incarcerated. You can donate recently-published paperback books to the jail and prison collections at Williamsburgh Library or Central Library only during drop-off times. Please contact librarian Claire Mooney (cmooney [at] bklynlibrary [dot] org) for guidance on what to donate, and when.
• Learn about Reginald Dwayne Betts’s Freedom Libraries
• Watch Inside Story, a video series produced by BPL’s Donald Washington and others who are formerly-incarcerated.
• Read about censorship in prison libraries and other radical ways to read with Book Riot’s Reading and Resistance series.