Speaking of emotionally gripping, the complexities of what it means to be black and racism and class and how all of this is seen in not just one place but various locations across the United States, across a number of years was fascinating. That said, this would best be read after reading the nonfiction pieces of work about and/or by Malcolm X just so the reader is aware of what’s real and what’s been delivered to us here in this account where we are given an even more emotionally gripping handle on a young Malcolm X. It felt fresh because it was fresh in the details. This was a very well executed novel, which is very tricky since it does follow a real life historical figure but the fiction intermixed with X’s real life was seamless. Because who better to write or in this instance, co-write such a novelization than one of Malcolm X’s daughters? What a way to get to know one’s own father by writing a story of their childhood!

X: A Novel is everything I expected and much of what I hoped it would be, making this a solid read fit for anyone looking for the greatest novelization of Malcolm X’s life. 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.Ĭharacters, relationships, themes, story, structure, fluidity, conclusion Deep down, he knows that the freedom he’s found is only an illusion-and that he can’t run forever. 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.īut Malcolm’s efforts to leave the past behind lead him into increasingly dangerous territory when what starts as some small-time hustling quickly spins out of control. Malcolm Little’s parents have always told him that he can achieve anything, but from what he can tell, that’s nothing but 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. They will always come for me, and I will always succumb. But to be my father’s son means that they will always come for me. Source: Free via Summer 2015 Sync ProgramĬowritten by Malcolm X’s daughter, this riveting and revealing novel follows the formative years of the man whose words and actions shook the world. Running Time: Unabridged | 8 hours and 56 minutes Publisher: Candlewick on Brilliance Audio Narrated By: Dion Graham and Ilyasah Shabazz X: A Novel by Ilyasah Shabazz and Kekla Magoon

Xa novel