The_Dead_Are_Arising:_The_Life_of_Malcolm_X

<i>The Dead Are Arising</i>

The Dead Are Arising

2020 biography of Malcolm X by Les Payne and Tamara Payne

The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X is a biography of Malcolm X by Les Payne and Tamara Payne. The book was published in September 29, 2020 by Liveright in hardcover format while an audiobook, narrated by actor Dion Graham, was simultaneously released by Recorded Books. Among other honors, the book won the 2020 National Book Award for Nonfiction[1] and the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Biography.[3]

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Publication

Les Payne spent almost 30 years on the book.[4] He and his daughter, Tamara Payne, researched the book together. She completed the book after his 2018 death.[1]

Reception

According to the review aggregator Book Marks, the book has received positive reviews, with eleven "rave" reviews, three "positive reviews", and three "mixed" reviews.[5] Among others, the book was reviewed by Kerri Greenidge,[6] Yohuru Williams,[7] Colin Grant,[8] Kehinde Andrews,[9] Mark Whitaker,[10] Alex Preston,[11] and Trevor Phillips.[12] In her review, Kerri Greenidge wrote that the book is "a meticulously researched, compassionately rendered, and fiercely analytical examination of the radical revolutionary as a human being".[6]

Among literary publications, Publishers Weekly posted a starred review of the book stating that it is "richly detailed" and "an extraordinary and essential portrait of the man behind the icon".[13] The New York Times Book Review wrote that "[n]obody has written a more poetic account".[4] Kirkus Reviews wrote, in a starred review, that the book is a "superb biography and an essential addition to the library of African American political engagement".[14] Library Journal posted another starred review that opened by stating that the "book is a monument to investigative reporting" and, in a "verdict" section, it was given their "highest recommendation" with a byline that says in part: "This gripping read, essential for anyone interested in the man or his times, delivers penetrating explanations and fresh insights into previously unexamined dimensions of Malcolm X and his becoming and being El-hajj Malik El Shabazz within the context of Black life."[15] A review by Booklist called the book "monumental".[16]

Awards and honors

Best books lists

Among other honors, the book has been included in several year end book lists. The New York Times Book Review included the book in its list of "100 Notable Books of 2020" with a byline that called the book "magisterial".[18] The book was also named as number five on the Time list "The 10 Best Nonfiction Books of 2020" with a byline that stated, in part, that the authors had "written the essential book for understanding the force that was Malcolm, with deep insights into his childhood, his path to the Nation of Islam and his assassination."[19]

Release details

Print

Audiobook

References

  1. [1]
    Alter, Alexandra (November 19, 2020). "Charles Yu Wins National Book Award for 'Interior Chinatown'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
  2. [2]
    Freeman, Abigail (June 11, 2021). "Pulitzer Prizes 2021: The Full List Of Winners". Forbes. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  3. [3]
    Freeman, Abigail (June 11, 2021). "Pulitzer Prizes 2021: The Full List Of Winners". Forbes. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  4. [4]
    Jeffries, Michael P. (October 19, 2020). "A New Life of Malcolm X Brimming With Detail, Insight and Feeling". The New York Times Book Review. ISSN 0362-4331.
  5. [5]
    "Book Marks reviews of The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X by Les Payne and Tamara Payne". Book Marks. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  6. [6]
    Greenidge, Kerri (November 2020). "Beyond the Myth of Malcolm X". The Atlantic. ISSN 1072-7825.
  7. [7]
    Williams, Yohuru (October 15, 2020). "New biography 'The Dead Are Arising' humanizes Malcolm X without diminishing him". The Boston Globe. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  8. [8]
    Grant, Colin (November 3, 2020). "The Dead Are Arising by Les Payne and Tamara Payne review – the radical ascent of Malcolm X". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712.
  9. [9]
    Andrews, Kehinde (October 22, 2020). "The Dead Are Arising by Les Payne and Tamara Payne review – the real Malcolm X". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077.
  10. [10]
    Whitaker, Mark (November 6, 2020). "Review: When Malcolm X secretly met with the Klan". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286.
  11. [11]
    Preston, Alex (October 22, 2020). "The gospel of separation according to Malcolm X". The Spectator. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  12. [12]
    Phillips, Trevor (November 1, 2020). "The Dead Are Arising by Les Payne and Tamara Payne, review — the life of a difficult icon, Malcolm X". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  13. [13]
    "Nonfiction book review: The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X". Publishers Weekly. September 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  14. [14]
    "The Dead are Arising". Kirkus Reviews. July 1, 2020.
  15. [15]
    Davis, Thomas J. (August 1, 2020). "The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X". Library Journal. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  16. [16]
    Williams, Lesley (August 2020). "Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X, by By Les Payne and Tamara Payne". Booklist.
  17. [17]
    "Longlist for 2021 Carnegie Medals Announced". American Libraries. October 26, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  18. [18]
    "100 Notable Books of 2020". The New York Times. November 20, 2020. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  19. [19]
    "The 10 Best Nonfiction Books of 2020". Time. November 21, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  20. [20]
    Solly, Meilan (December 1, 2020). "The Ten Best History Books of 2020". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  21. [21]
    Sendaula, Stephanie; Klose, Barrie; Olmstead, Stephanie (November 30, 2020). "Best Biographies and Memoirs of 2020". Library Journal. Retrieved December 19, 2020.

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