Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Tue Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2020)

Explores historical threads of race, faith, and family as they weave together in the transformation of youthful, imprisoned Malcolm Little into empowered, purpose-driven Malcolm X.Shabazz, daughter of Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz, partners with rising literary star Jackson to explore 20-something Malcolm's growth through reading, debate, and dialogue. This dedication and rediscovery of purpose, made manifest through newfound faith, would catapult him to the global stage as the chief spokesman for the Nation of Islam under the tutelage of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Refusing to establish his transformation as the marker of an unjust prison system's rehabilitation strategy, this fictionalized retelling spotlights the relationships, perspectives, lessons, and questions delivered by Black men imprisoned around him and the critical embrace of a family that never abandoned him. "Wake up, Malcolm" is a cue that resounds throughout, linking the familial legacy of Malcolm's parents, who held ties to ministry and served roles in the racial uplift mission of Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association. 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. This novel showcases the ways that becoming is a social process requiring care, commitment, and community but is ultimately world-changing work.A must-read reminder that transformation is made possible through community. (more information, timeline, Malcolm X's reading list, authors' note) (Biographical novel. 12-18)

ALA Booklist (Tue Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2020)

Malcolm X's daughter Shabazz teams up with YA veteran Jackson to create an affecting piece of historical fiction that focuses on the civil rights icon's young adulthood. It begins five weeks into the imprisonment of 20-year-old Malcolm Little. Through the mentorship of older prisoners and by witnessing the atrocities African Americans are subjected to behind bars, a fire is stoked within him. As his narrative unfolds, Malcolm hones his skills in rhetoric and debate to become a feared sparring partner, and, by embracing Islam, Malcolm X finds a calling to guide other African Americans to rally for true justice. The authors not only show Malcolm's intellectual and spiritual evolution, but also manage to depict the plight of his fellow inmates with equal parts compassion and revulsion. In so doing, they illustrate the social conditions that normalized injustice into everyday life. Though technically a work of fiction, this book nevertheless serves as a perfect entrée for young adult readers to learn about the formative years of a pivotal leader in the civil rights movement.

Horn Book (Mon Feb 06 00:00:00 CST 2023)

In 1946, twenty-year-old Malcolm Little, later known as Malcolm X, was sentenced to eight to ten years in prison for a crime set in motion by his white girlfriend. Shabazz (X: A Novel, rev. 5/15; Betty Before X, rev. 3/18) and Jackson (Monday's Not Coming, rev. 7/18; Grown, rev. 9/20) 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. Abrupt transitions from warm and empowering dreams and childhood memories (his Garveyite parents raised him to live in "self-love. Self-reliance. Unity") to scenes of inhumane prison life lend themselves to an intensely intimate look into the mind of young Malcolm, where the phrases "Wake up, Malcolm" and "Up, up you mighty race!" are repeated frequently. While an author's note explains that "creative liberties" were taken in this fictionalized retelling, the extensive back matter also includes information about the Nation of Islam, Charlestown State Prison, and the Norfolk Prison Colony, as well as a timeline and reading list. Eboni Njoku

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Explores historical threads of race, faith, and family as they weave together in the transformation of youthful, imprisoned Malcolm Little into empowered, purpose-driven Malcolm X.Shabazz, daughter of Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz, partners with rising literary star Jackson to explore 20-something Malcolm's growth through reading, debate, and dialogue. This dedication and rediscovery of purpose, made manifest through newfound faith, would catapult him to the global stage as the chief spokesman for the Nation of Islam under the tutelage of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Refusing to establish his transformation as the marker of an unjust prison system's rehabilitation strategy, this fictionalized retelling spotlights the relationships, perspectives, lessons, and questions delivered by Black men imprisoned around him and the critical embrace of a family that never abandoned him. "Wake up, Malcolm" is a cue that resounds throughout, linking the familial legacy of Malcolm's parents, who held ties to ministry and served roles in the racial uplift mission of Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association. 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. This novel showcases the ways that becoming is a social process requiring care, commitment, and community but is ultimately world-changing work.A must-read reminder that transformation is made possible through community. (more information, timeline, Malcolm X's reading list, authors' note) (Biographical novel. 12-18)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

This fictionalized account, penned by Malcolm X-s daughter Shabazz (Betty Before X) with Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe Award winner Jackson (Grown), recounts how Malcolm Little, the 20-year-old young man who would become civil rights icon Malcolm X, was convicted of a series of property crimes in 1946, after being framed by a white woman he was dating. Incarcerated first in Charlestown State Prison and then Norfolk Prison Colony, Malcolm experiences firsthand the treatment endured by Black men facing incarceration: dehumanization, violence, and brutal isolation. Enraged at the injustice of his circumstances and nurtured by family and fellow inmates, Malcolm is encouraged to liberate himself through knowledge and then conversion to Islam. Through these studies, Malcolm eventually comprehends the backbreaking plight of Black people in America and takes a stand against it. Unresolved subplots and a considerable time jump that glosses over a period of considerable change for Malcolm X undercut this otherwise thought-provoking narrative account. Still, 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. Ages 12-up. (Jan.)