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]
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]
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]
Payne, Les (September 29, 2020). The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X. Payne, Tamara (1st ed.). New York: Liveright. ISBN978-1-4328-8615-8. OCLC1137810018. (library binding)
