Betty Before X

Written by Ilyasah Shabazz and Renée Watson

I am a reader who doesn’t read blurbs or plot reviews. I like to go into a book completely free of opinion. Hence, I didn’t realize while I was reading this that it was a mostly biographical account of the girl who would become the wife of Malcolm X. It is written by her daughter. By the time I got to that information at the end of the book, I had already acknowledged that this was an important story.

Betty is taken away from her mother as a young baby when her grandmother finds a bruise on her neck. Eventually she finds a home with the Malloys in Detroit, near her biological mother and half-sisters. Betty is raised to stand up for her rights against racial prejudice. She becomes involved with the Housewives League, an organization that supports black owned-businesses. I appreciated the insight of why some African Americans might not have wanted to be integrated.

I thought this book was exceptional. I appreciated the historical information and complete biography of Betty at the end of the book. I felt there were parts that were beautifully written. It would be a great read-aloud.

Review by Terrie Bishop, Academy Park Elementary Media Center
Rating: ★★★★★ (5 stars)
Interest Level: Grades 4-8

Betty Before X
Written by Ilyasah Shabazz and Renée Watson
Farrar Straus Giroux
248 pages
Release Date: January 2, 2018
A review copy was provided by the publisher.

Tags:

2018 Children's Fiction, African Americans Fiction, Betty Shabazz, Biographical Fiction, Civil Rights Fiction, Detroit Fiction, Historical Fiction, Ilyasah Shabazz, Michigan Fiction, Prejudice Fiction, Race Relations Fiction, Racism Fiction, Renée Watson, Stepfamilies Fiction, Terrie Bishop