I view books as a weapon. The places that a book can take you are mind-blowing. This gun is legal, and you don't need to hold a permit to carry it. I believe all people, especially the young, should make an effort to open up their mind to more literature. In this post, I will display the books that have to enlighten me in ways I never thought were possible. From autobiographies to books of essays, I've listed the books I feel every hungry mind should read.

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

as told by Alex Haley

“The Autobiography of Malcolm X," this book spoke to me. Before I read the novel Alex Haley had written, I was fascinated by the life of Malcolm X. This book takes you in a time machine through the Ministers life. The further I read, I began to understand why he spoke the way he spoke and carried himself the way he did. While reading, I felt as if I were having a conversation with the Harlem Minister. Before I began studying Mr. X, I was ignorant to his ideas and his thinking patterns. The stereotypical notions that I received in grade school made it difficult for me to want to expand my knowledge of him. Putting all of this aside I decided to do my research, and this book was the core of that. If you have a passion for the movement of the sixties I recommend this book for you. If you're one that wants to enlighten yourself on Malcolm X's movement I recommend this book for you. This book will illuminate the mind, body and soul.

Rating: ★★★★★ / 5.0

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To Die for the People

Written by: Huey Newton

You begin to understand who the founder of the Black Panther Party Huey Newton is as a person. To Die for the People is a timeless classic filled with inserts of his essays that take you to a very critical time in our history. With rare and persuasive honestly, this books records the internal struggles, rivalries, and contradictions that this young revolutionary group experienced while dealing with America's injustice and cruel system. To Die for the People represents one of the most important analysis of the politics of race, black radicalism, and democracy written during the black-power era of America. The militant persona that the Black Panther Party displayed feared many across the country, but for some it was necessary. Black Americans around this time in history were in desperate need of voice, Newton was that voice. Newton's impact continues to run deep within those who understood him.

Rating: ★★★★ / 5.0

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Breaking the Curse of Willie Lynch: The Science of Slave Psychology

Written by: Alvin Morrow

There's belief that Willie Lynch was not a real person. However, historians still make time and effort to discover whether the existence of Lynch were fictional lies and propaganda. Whether he was real or not, the ideas that he points out in his writings continue to exist today. Lynch made it clear in his writings, a master and those after will be able to control the mental capacity of a slave. There was a time in history where slaves were not only shackled physically but also mentally. Mr. Lynches ideas were to divide the African-American community ultimately within the home, with their color, and also their physical makeup. Not only what Lynch said in his speech was unwelcoming to those who discovered it, but it's an actual reality. What Alvin Morrow does in his debut novel Breaking the Curse of Willie Lynch promotes his ideas and solutions of how we can break the cycle that Lynch created. This book penetrates the heart of the divisions that exist among black men and women today. In explicit detail, this books describes the brutal mental conditioning methods used on the African during North American slavery, and the psychological aftershock that still wreaks havoc within our men and women in today's 21st century. In vivid detail, this book describes why we still suffer.

Rating: ★★★★★ / 5.0

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Nigger

Written by: Randall Kennedy

Nigger (n) 3: A member of a socially disadvantaged class of persons. In Webster's dictionary, this is the definition of a word that we have grown accustomed. Although the urban culture has taken this name and used it as a term of endearment and affection, it's still a word that is used excessively within our community. The reason for this word being used so out of context is because we lack the fundamental knowledge of its meaning. Randall Kennedy's novelNigger goes in depth of what this word means and how these six letters hold so much negative context. Should blacks be able to use this word in ways forbidden to others? Should it cost a person his or her job? In this piece, Kennedy takes on not just a word, but our laws, attitudes, and culture with bracing courage and intelligence. If we begin to understand more of what this word means, we'll make a determined effort to dispose of it from our well-being.

Rating: ★★★★ / 5.0

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