Jesus Muhammad-Ali is the grandson of Elijah Muhammad, leader of the Nation of Islam from 1934 to 1975. As a Nation of Islam insider, Muhammad-Ali is unique qualified to comment on the assassination of Malcolm X and the position of the Nation of Islam in a post-9/11 world. The author does all this as well as illuminating the story of the growth and development of the Nation of Islam organization.

For the outsider, Muhammad-Ali's prose can be somewhat impenetrable and the preface warns, "The reader should be aware this book is presented in my voice and has not been grammatically embellished, for a number of heartfelt reasons." Note that the passive voice and run-on sentences are the least of the obstacles in the writing that lies between slang and Islamic ornamentation. Still, the story shines through illustrated by first-person anecdotes and numerous photographs.

Reproductions of Jesus Muhammad-Ali's oil paintings show he has great talent in that area as well.

- Rambles
written by Tom Schulte
published 2 August 2003