X: A Novel

Allegedly

White Smoke

Grown

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party

Elijah of Buxton

Copper Sun

Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America

Malcolm X

The Awakening of Malcolm X is a powerful narrative account of the activist's adolescent years in jail, written by his daughter Ilyasah Shabazz along with 2019 Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe award-winning author, Tiffany D. Jackson.

No one can be at peace until he has his freedom.

In Charlestown Prison, Malcolm Little struggles with the weight of his past. Plagued by nightmares, Malcolm drifts through days, unsure of his future. Slowly, he befriends other prisoners and writes to his family. He reads all the books in the prison library, joins the debate team and the Nation of Islam. Malcolm grapples with race, politics, religion, and justice in the 1940s. And as his time in jail comes to an end, he begins to awaken -- emerging from prison more than just Malcolm Little: Now, he is Malcolm X.

Here is an intimate look at Malcolm X's young adult years. While this book chronologically follows X: A Novel, it can be read as a stand-alone historical novel that invites larger discussions on black power, prison reform, and civil rights.

Discover Your Child's Next Read

X: A Novel

Ilyasah Shabazz, Renée Watson, 2018

Allegedly

Tiffany D. Jackson, 2017

White Smoke

Tiffany D. Jackson, 2021

Grown

Tiffany D. Jackson, 2020

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party

Anderson M.T., M.T., Erson, 2006

Elijah of Buxton

Christopher Paul Curtis, 2007

Copper Sun

Sharon M. Draper, 2006

Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America

Andrea Davis Pinkney, Brian Pinkney, 2012