The Awakening of Malcolm X
By: Ilyasah Shabazz with Tiffany D. Jackson

The Awakening of Malcolm X covers his formative years, flashing between memories of his childhood, teenage years, and time in prison. This is a compelling storyline accounting for Malcolm’s years in jail. While reading this book, you will take an intimate look at Malcolm X's young adult years, from 1946 to 1952, while he was in prison for breaking and entering, possession of stolen property, grand larceny, and carrying a firearm.

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Malcolm's sentence was eight to ten years in Charlestown Prison, where he spent the majority of his sentence with a brief stint in Norfolk Prison Colony in Massachusetts in 1948. During his trial is when he encounters his first taste of betrayal. He is surprised at the testimony of Sophia, his white girlfriend who also was an accomplice but received a less harasser sentence.

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It is in Norfolk Prison Colony where he is introduced to the Nation of Islam by his siblings and joins the debate team. As his sentence ends due to parole, Malcolm emerges from prison more than just Malcolm Little: Now, he is Malcolm X. After his parole in 1952, he quickly became one of the Nation of Islam's most influential leaders. This book is a mixture of fact and fiction about his, which gives you insight into his early life.

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This book details Malcolm’s formative years. At the age of six years old, Malcolm’s father, Reverend Earl Little, was a supporter of Marcus Garvey, a Black nationalist leader. Rev. Little was hit by a streetcar, quite possibly the victim of murder by whites (KKK). Learning this bit of information about his father is so ironic because Malcolm grew up to become a leader and activist speaking out against the hatred of Black people, just as his father did. Because his father’s death was ruled a suicide and not a murder, the insurance company refused to payout on the policy, causing Malcolm’s mother to struggle financially. Because of this, you get to see his mother institutionalized when Malcolm was a teen, due to her being grief-stricken after the death of her husband.

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When a fellow inmate introduces Malcolm to the prison library, he begins reading, a hobby that he has long neglected, and begins to see self-education as a way to freedom. He also begins corresponding with Elijah Muhammad, leader of the Nation of Islam, who offered him encouragement and insight. As a reader, you also learn about the living conditions and treatment of prisoners — which sparks the conversation about prison reform. This book highlights the inequities of both the criminal justice system and the US prison system, Despite the timeline, being during the early 1930s prison system yet things are not different in the 2022 prison system.

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This is a young adult novel, so please be aware that there are references to violence, suicidal thoughts, drug use, and the n-word which could be triggering to readers. The Awakening of Malcolm X is a testament to education, miseducation, purpose, and self-knowing.

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