Malcolm X and Manning Marable are well matched as subject and author. Marable was a Marxist historian who transcended the boundaries of any political orthodoxy, an author or editor of more than twenty books and hundreds of articles who saw no contradiction between academics and activism. This month also marks the publication of "Beyond Boundaries: The Manning Marable Reader", a collection that gestures at the breadth of Marable's erudition and the depth of his commitment to writing -- and to righting -- American history. Nowhere is this revolutionary spirit more apparent than in his account of one of the preeminent revolutionary voices of the second half of the twentieth century.

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Despite Jay-Z's willingness to bare his emotions in song, we know precious little about the man himself, Shawn Carter. The general arc of his life's narrative is clear: A child of Brooklyn's Marcy projects transforms himself from aspiring rapper to drug hustler to global superstar to corporate mogul. He is the self-made man of American myth, remixed with a kick drum and a snare. Under the guise of his invented name, Jay-Z has become less person than persona. As he once rapped with characteristic concision: "I'm not a businessman, I'm a business, man." Though he's released a staggering 11 albums in 14 years, the man behind the business still remains a mystery -- often seen, but rarely heard.

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