Book excerpt: "The Afterlife of Malcolm X" by Mark Whitaker

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In "The Afterlife of Malcolm X: An Outcast Turned Icon's Enduring Impact on America" (to be published May 13 by Simon & Schuster), journalist Mark Whitaker looks at how the influence of the charismatic figure who electrified America with his blunt talk on Black identity and civil rights has continued to grow following his death.

In one chapter, Whitaker writes about the artistic choices made by director Spike Lee and actor Denzel Washington for their masterful 1992 biopic, "Malcolm X," which dramatized the life of Malcolm Little, from his days as a street hustler in Boston, to his fame at the pinnacle of a nationwide civil rights movement.