Descriptions, Reviews, etc.
Description:
A powerful fictionalized account of Malcolm X's adolescent years in jail, written by his daughter along with 2019 Coretta Scott King - John Steptoe award-winning author.
Brief description:
Ilyasah Shabazz, third daughter of Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz, is an educator, activist, motivational speaker, and author of multiple award-winning publications, including her books, Betty Before X and X: A Novel. She is also an active advocacy worker and an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City.
Review Quotes:
A Cosmopolitan Magazine Recommended Winter Read
A School Library Journal Top 10 Audiobook
A NCSS Notable Book
A YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Title
"Shabazz and Jackson effectively illuminate not only the figure's religious and political awakening, but the injustice historically leveled against the Black community by mass incarceration and systemic racism." --
Publishers Weekly, starred review "Readers will make connections to persistent injustices faced by Black communities--and the beautiful ways which, despite that terror, Black families have found to craft visions of freedom and lives of dignity and love. A must-read reminder that transformation is made possible through community." --
Kirkus Reviews, starred review "Libraries will be incomplete without the inclusion of this captivating historical novel by Malcom X's daughter." --
School Library Journal,
starred review "An affecting piece of historical fiction . . . a perfect entrée for young adult readers to learn about the formative years of a pivotal leader in the civil rights movement." --
Booklist "Through Malcolm's memories of parental guidance and his participation in wide-ranging prison conversations, readers join him in weighing viewpoints on topics from Marcus Garvey's pan-Africanism to the ill-defined purpose of incarceration in America. A compelling account." --
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "Shabazz depict his experience in a narrative interspersed with real-life quotes from the activist, fictionalized letters from his family and his then-mentor Elijah Muhammad, and dictionary definitions Malcolm records as he educates himself . . . an intensely intimate look into the mind of young Malcolm." --
The Horn Book
