Reviews

The Awakening of Malcolm X by Tiffany D. Jackson, Ilyasah Shabazz

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dyketomb's review against another edition

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informative reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

laurenb1917's review

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This book gave us insight into Malcolm X in a way many other books have not.
Written by his own daughter, this follows his younger years, the time before he became the Malcolm we know. The book actually ended with him dropping his family name Little and officially going by Malcolm X.
This is one of those books that everyone should read to understand 1) how horrible the prison system is, 2) how deeply ingrained racism is in both black and white people, and 3) that even power houses like Malcolm X have to start somewhere.
It was a quick read for me on audio - highly recommend it that way.

Content Warnings

sadiebedford's review

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

saragrochowski's review against another edition

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informative reflective slow-paced

5.0

jackelz's review

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challenging informative

This book is an intimate look at Malcolm X's young adult years, from 1946 to 1952, while he was imprisoned for robbery. Malcolm spent the majority of his sentence in Charlestown Prison, with a brief stent in Norfolk Prison Colony in Massachusetts in 1948. It is in Norfolk where he is introduced to the Nation of Islam, and joins the debate team.

And as his sentence comes to an end, he begins to awaken — emerging from prison more than just Malcolm Little: Now, he is Malcolm X.

I learned so much about Malcolm’s early life reading this! Like how his father was killed when Malcolm was 6, and how his mother was institutionalized when he was barely a teenager. We also learn about the living conditions and treatment of prisoners — which sparks the conversation about prison reform. I can still visualize him making all those license plates… then reading the dictionary.

This book is a mix of fact and fiction, but I really enjoyed the insight into the early life of Malcolm X.