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saravolk01's review
dark
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jenmangler's review against another edition
3.0
I chose to read this book because I didn't know a great deal about Malcolm X's formative years. It's a novelization, so it would be best balanced with a good nonfiction book about him, but this format really brings him to life.
lawrenrc's review
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
futurama1979's review
4.0
Not only does this book have merit for a Malcolm X scholar - which I am in a very amateur sense - it also has merit as a novel, period. Of course, knowing about Mr. X's life before reading it adds to what you get from it, but, unlike a lot of fictionalized history, it stands on its own. Even if I hadn't known anything about Malcolm X before picking this one up, I'd have still enjoyed a really engaging adventure/coming of age story.
It was thematically strong, and Shabazz made an interesting choice to end the book before any of the events that we know Mr. X for today. I think it really worked for this book and increased its readability for people unfamiliar with or uninvested in Mr. X, and let the coming of age part of the novel really shine through and carry the story.
My only issue was that repetition was used a little too much for my liking and some minor stuff seemed redundant but honestly it was a good read nonetheless.
It was thematically strong, and Shabazz made an interesting choice to end the book before any of the events that we know Mr. X for today. I think it really worked for this book and increased its readability for people unfamiliar with or uninvested in Mr. X, and let the coming of age part of the novel really shine through and carry the story.
My only issue was that repetition was used a little too much for my liking and some minor stuff seemed redundant but honestly it was a good read nonetheless.
tatyanavogt's review
3.0
It was interesting seeing his life before he became Malcom X. I didn't realize that it was only his life beforehand (which is my bad) so I didn't enjoy it as much as I would like.
For more thoughts check out my Reading Vlog: https://youtu.be/3pIbyhFoAeo
For more thoughts check out my Reading Vlog: https://youtu.be/3pIbyhFoAeo
littlewitchreading's review against another edition
3.0
Parts of this were written beautifully. I honestly knew very little about Malcolm X prior to reading this so it was a nice intro. Also thought the fact that it was written in part by his daughter was pretty cool.
thebrainlair's review
5.0
I've read 2 young people's bios of Malcolm X - [b:Malcolm X: By Any Means Necessary: By Any Means Necessary|866466|Malcolm X By Any Means Necessary By Any Means Necessary|Walter Dean Myers|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1360058163s/866466.jpg|851867] by [a:Walter Dean Myers|13291|Walter Dean Myers|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1230178601p2/13291.jpg] and a Lerner one not worth finding - but I enjoyed learning about Malcolm Little or
gabthebookworm's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Drug abuse, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Gun violence
floralfox's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0