Betty Before X - Softcover

Shabazz

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1250294185 ISBN 13: 9781250294180

Publisher: Square Fish, 2018

Synopsis

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. Activists like Paul Robeson stir African Americans in her community to stand up for their rights. Betty finds purpose in volunteering for the Housewives League, which 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 in collaboration with novelist Renee Watson - Ilyasah Shabazz illuminates four years in her mother's childhood with this book, painting an inspiring portrait of a girl grappling with self-acceptance and belonging that will resonate with young readers today.

About this title

Review:

"...this 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 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

"The lessons from Betty's life are abundant: forgiveness, gratitude for life's blessings, and planting seeds for the future. Her response to hardship and injustice is timeless."--Booklist

"Set mostly in the black neighborhoods of 1940s Detroit, this affecting novel covers Betty's life from age eleven...to just before the start of high school... The authors tell Betty's story in an engaging and accessible first-person voice; they manage to portray Betty as a relatable pre-teen who likes to dance to Billy Eckstine records and read Ebony magazine even as they lay the groundwork for the remarkable woman she will grow up to be." --The Horn Book

About the Author:

Ilyasah Shabazz, third daughter of Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz, is an educator, activist, motivational speaker, and author of multiple award-winning publications, including X: A Novel. She is also an active advocacy worker and an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. Ren e Watson is the author of This Side of Home, which was nominated for the Best Fiction for Young Adults by the American Library Association. Her picture book Harlem's Little Blackbird: The Story of Florence Mills received several honors including an NAACP Image Award nomination in children's literature. She is also the founder of the I, Too Arts Collective and currently teaches courses on writing for children at University of New Haven and Pine Manor College.

About this edition

• Publisher: Square Fish
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1250294185
• ISBN 13: 9781250294180
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 254