Michael P. Jeffries reviews Les Payne and Tamara Payne’s book, “The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X,” in this week’s issue. In 1992, Michael Eric Dyson wrote for the Book Review about a select group of books that examine Malcolm X’s life.

In the face of the grim recurrence of a racism many thought was gone forever, the renewed popularity of Malcolm X has taken on new importance. The signs of his ascent all are a response to the current need for a confrontational stance toward this country’s continuing racism and the seductive mythology of the perfect Black man.