**Betty Before X is a powerful middle-grade fictionalized account of
the childhood activism of Betty Shabazz, Malcolm X's wife, written by
their daughter Ilyasah Shabazz.
**
In Detroit, 1945, eleven-year-old Betty's house doesn't quite feel like
home. She believes her mother loves her, but she can't shake the feeling
that her mother doesn't want her. Church helps those worries fade, if
only for a little while. The singing, the preaching, the speeches from
guest activists like Paul Robeson and Thurgood Marshall stir African
Americans in her community to stand up for their rights. Betty quickly
finds confidence and purpose in volunteering for the Housewives League,
an organization that supports black-owned businesses. Soon, the American
civil rights icon we now know as Dr. Betty Shabazz is born.
Inspired by Betty's real life--but expanded upon and fictionalized
through collaboration with novelist Renée Watson--Ilyasah Shabazz
illuminates four poignant years in her mother's childhood with this
book, painting an inspiring portrait of a girl overcoming the challenges
of self-acceptance and belonging that will resonate with young readers
today.
Backmatter included.
"[T]his moving fictional account of the early life of the late civil
rights leader and widow of Malcolm X draws on the recollections of
family and friends. The result is a heart-rending imagining of
Shabazz's personal challenges as well as a rare, intimate look at the
complex roots of the American civil rights movement. A personal,
political and powerful imagining of the early life of the late
activist." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"Absorbing . . . History comes alive in this illuminating portrayal
of the early life of this civil rights activist." --Publishers Weekly,
starred review
"An excellent work of historical fiction that will illuminate and spark
discussion." --School Library Journal, starred review
