*Two of Malcolm X’s daughters, Ilyasah and Malaak Shabazz, are not too thrilled that late author Manning Marable’s new book alleges their parents’ marriage was strained and that their mother – and possibly their father – were unfaithful, reports The Associated Press:
The marriage “was definitely faithful and devoted because my father was a man of impeccable integrity, and I think that most people, if they’re not clear on anything, they’re clear that he was moral and ethical and had impeccable character,” Ilyasah Shabazz said Wednesday.
Ilyasah and Malaak Shabazz spoke to The AP about “Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention.” Author Manning Marable, a highly respected scholar who worked for more than 20 years on the book, died last week of complications of pneumonia just before publication. Malcolm X’s daughters did not speak to Marable for the book, which draws upon thousands of interviews, government documents and private papers.
The book has been in the top 10 on Amazon.com’s best-seller list, and the print run has been increased from 46,000 to 70,000, according to Viking, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA).
Viking spokeswoman Carolyn Coleburn said the publisher had no comment about the daughters’ criticisms.
While both sisters acknowledged they have yet to read the book, they questioned reports about the contents. Marable had intended “Malcolm X” as a tribute to the slain activist’s life and influence, but he also wanted to avoid portraying him as “a saint, without the normal contradictions and blemishes that all human beings have,” as the historian wrote in the introduction.
Malcolm X was assassinated in 1965. His wife, Betty Shabazz, died in 1997 after one of her grandchildren set fire to her apartment.
Source: AP
