X - Ilyasah Shabazz

Initial Draw: ☆☆☆☆
Character Development: ☆☆☆☆☆
Plot/Writing Style: ☆☆☆☆☆
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover: 

"Before Malcolm X shook the world with his words and actions, his parents told him that he could achieve anything. But at fifteen, with his father murdered and his mother taken away, he figures there's no point in trying and escapes into a world of fancy suits, jazz, girls, and reefer. Deep down, he knows that the freedom he's found is only an illusion - and that he can't run from his past forever."

This fictional version of "Malcolm before the X" written by Malcolm X's daughter takes a look at his experiences growing up, before converting to Islam and becoming a leader in the Civil Rights movement. While of course there is some conjecture and fictionalization, Ilyasah Shabazz based what she wrote on stories she was told about her father by family members and friends. We read about a young Malcolm and the rest of his family struggling to stay together after his father's murder when he was six, being constantly harassed by government officials determined to take him and his siblings away from his mother. 

After these officials successfully force his mom into an asylum and separate him from his siblings, he goes to live with his half sister in another state, where he quickly gets swept up in the fast-paced world down the hill. Even as he finds success for himself, he knows he is running - from memories of his father, from institutional and everyday racism determine to keep him down, and even from his own potential. It isn't until he's forced to stop moving that he finally has the opportunity to confront everything he's been trying to escape.

While admittedly I am no expert on Malcolm X's life, everything I have learned about him was after his name change and conversion to Islam. This insight into his experiences growing up and the things that put him onto that path was enlightening and emotional. He went through so much, from such a young age, to become the remarkable leader that he was. I'm glad that his daughter decided to write this book and share more about her father's life.