X A Novel

Shabazz, I. (2015). X: A Novel. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

Summary

If anyone can write a semi-biographical account of Malcolm X's early life it is his daughter. She knew him and and access to others that knew him well. Malcolm Little  lived in Lansing, Michigan.  His father died when he was six. As a young teen, he started to get into trouble for playing pranks at school and stealing fruit from a store and a neighbor's yard.  He is moved to a foster home because the government believes his mother is not well and cannot take care of him. Eventually all of his sisters and brothers are moved to a foster home.  When Malcolm is 16, he decides to move to Boston with hsi half-sister. The big city immediately captivates him. He is drawn into the criminal life because he finds it so easy and he can make money quickly. He goes from job to job eventually become a porter on a train and discovers Harlem. He moves up  there and become even more of hustler. After getting in big trouble with a dangerous number runner, Malcolm's friend Shorty comes to rescue him and take him back to Boston. Waiting for him there is Sophia. She is the woman Malcolm cannot not shake because she is white and it is considered forbidden and that excites him. Sophia and her sister get Malcolm and Shorty involved in their robbery operation.  A foolish move gets them caught. Malcolm takes a watch he stole to get fixed and the jeweler calls the cops. Once in prison, Malcolm Little must come to terms with all the mistakes he has made in his life. He reevaluates what his father has taught him. He comes to term with is role in the United States and realizes he cannot depend on others but cannot blame others either. It ends with Malcolm Little becoming Malcolm X.

Commentary

The book coves Malcolm's early life in detail. Even though some stories and characters were made up or compiled of a collection of events and people it reads like a true biography. If you are familiar with the James Baldwin biography on Malcolm X. This serves as a perfect prequel.  the names and places are all true. Ilyasah Shabazz did a good job including events that explains why the Malcolm became the leader we know him for in his later life. 

Connections

Book Trailer

Connections to text
Biographies should be true to the time they cover. The United States at the time of the novel was extremely divided racially. This novel can serve as a history lesson for young readers who were not alive in the 1940s. Readers will get a better understanding of the character Malcolm and how and why he became the man to lead people.