The Awakening of Malcolm X

Ages 12 to 18

A powerful YA account of Malcolm X's adolescent years in jail written by his daughter along with a winner of the 2019 Coretta Scott King–John Steptoe Award.

No one can be at peace until he has his freedom.

In Charlestown Prison, Malcolm Little struggles with the weight of his past. Plagued by nightmares, he drifts through days unsure of his future. Slowly he befriends other prisoners and writes to his family. He reads all the books in the prison library, joins the debate team and the Nation of Islam. Malcolm grapples with race, politics, religion, and justice in the 1940s. And as his time in jail ends, he begins to awaken, emerging from prison more than just Malcolm Little: Now, he is Malcolm X.

Here is an intimate look at Malcolm X's young adult years. While this book chronologically follows X: A Novel, it can be read as a stand-alone historical novel that invites larger discussions on structural racism, prison reform, and civil rights.

About the Author

Ilyasah Shabazz, the third daughter of Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz, is an educator, activist, motivational speaker, and author of multiple award-winning publications, including her latest book, Betty Before X. She is also an active advocacy worker and an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. ilyasahshabazz.com

Tiffany D. Jackson is the critically acclaimed author of YA novels, including Allegedly, which was nominated for a NAACP Image Award, and Monday's Not Coming, a Walter Dean Myers Honored Book and winner of the Coretta Scott King–John Steptoe Award. She received her BA in film from Howard University and her MA in media studies from the New School. writeinbk.com