For the final week of Black History Month, the Hawks Library recommends the book X, a story about Malcolm Little's growth from a troubled youth into the man we know about today, Malcolm X. While classified as historical fiction, you can't help but feel that this is more of a biography with the attention to detail and the fact that the book's author, Ilyasah Shabazz, is the daughter of Malcolm X. The book was co-written by one of our favorite authors as well, Kekla Magoon, best known for her work How It Went Down. A Coretta Scott King Award Honor Book, X uses its gripping prose to reveal the background of one of this country's most transformative Black leaders.
Notes from the publisher:
"Malcolm Little's parents have always told him that he can achieve anything, but from what he can tell, that's a pack of lies--after all, his father's been murdered, his mother's been taken away, and his dreams of becoming a lawyer have gotten him laughed out of school. There's no point in trying, he figures, and lured by the nightlife of Boston and New York, he escapes into a world of fancy suits, jazz, girls, and reefer. But Malcolm's efforts to leave the past behind lead him into increasingly dangerous territory. Deep down, he knows that the freedom he's found is only an illusion--and that he can't run forever.
X follows Malcolm from his childhood to his imprisonment for theft at age twenty, when he found the faith that would lead him to forge a new path and command a voice that still resonates today."
To check out this book today, sign into our Sora e-book platform using your Hazelwood School District Google account.