Malcolm Lives!

Starred review from April 15, 2025
Scholar and award-winning author Kendi offers a thoroughly researched biography that examines the life of the activist, intellectual, and Muslim minister. Born Malcolm Little in Nebraska in 1925, he grew up in a household that openly defied white supremacy. In 1931, his dad died in an incident the police ruled accidental; his mom, however, believed her husband was murdered by the Ku Klux Klan offshoot called the Black Legion. Traumatized, Malcolm engaged in criminal behavior and developed a deep mistrust of white people. At 20, after being sentenced to prison for burglary, he was exposed to the teachings of the Nation of Islam. When he was released, 27-year-old Malcolm had been transformed. But over time, Malcolm began to reconsider his beliefs, eventually exposing the moral hypocrisy of leader Elijah Muhammad. By the end of his life, Malcolm had traveled extensively, including an enlightening trip to Mecca, gaining a global perspective. Meanwhile, Elijah sowed the discord that led to Malcolm's assassination in 1965. Using archival documents and photographs, Kendi frames the revolutionary's story as a "chronology of changes," offering enough historical background to orient readers without making the narrative excessively complex. Kendi traces Malcolm's journey from troubled but brilliant youth to divisive Black nationalist to human rights trailblazer. The short, accessible chapters compellingly contextualize global issues, speaking directly to readers and breathing new life into a critically relevant historical figure. A humanizing, resoundingly effective portrait showcasing history as a blueprint for radical change. (source notes, image credits)(Nonfiction. 12-18)

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Starred review from May 9, 2025

Gr 7 Up-Scholar and antiracist activist Kendi brings the life and learning of Malcolm X directly to young readers in this compelling, propulsive biography. Malcolm Little, born 1925 in Omaha, NE, faced trauma and hardship from early on due to racism and white supremacy. By the time he was in eighth grade, he was hungry and angry which made him reckless and desperate. He left school for pool halls and bars, breaking laws and getting by with older friends. At 20, he landed in prison for a string of robberies. While he was incarcerated, he rediscovered his love of learning and his thirst for knowledge. It was also when he was introduced to the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, then the leader of the U.S.-based Nation of Islam. Upon release, the young man zigzagged across the U.S. gathering followers. After he became disillusioned with Muhammad's leadership, he left the Nation of Islam, but his influence continued to grow in the global fight for human rights for all. Kendi artfully draws on extensive source material to recreate conversations and elucidate the possible thoughts and feelings behind some of the behavior of his subjects. The length of the book might intimidate some readers. However, the short chapters and Kendi's frequent direct address to young people make the text feel like a conversation, with a writing style more akin to oratory than textbook. The text is made even more accessible because it is interspersed with images of typewritten letters, handwritten notes, and photographs. VERDICT This thoroughly researched, beautifully rendered portrait of a complex and pivotal figure is recommended as an essential purchase.-Jennifer Costa

Copyright 2025 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from April 21, 2025
Kendi (Stamped) delivers an expansive and immersive biography of human rights activist Malcolm X (1925–1965), which traces the figure’s life from his birth in Omaha, Neb., to his assassination in New York City. “Before one can teach what’s right for humans, one must learn what is right,” the author states in an introduction using plain, conversational text. Subsequent chapters take on a propulsive cadence that chronicles critical events in Malcolm’s life, including his father’s death, ruled an accident by police, though Malcolm’s mother believed her husband was murdered by Klansmen. Through a series of succinct yet richly detailed snapshots that include Malcolm’s experience hustling in 1940s Boston as well as his incarceration for burglary in 1946, Kendi relays the revolutionary’s relationship with the Nation of Islam’s teachings and with the organization’s religious leader Elijah Muhammad. The volume straightforwardly depicts the pair’s antagonism and parallel journeys as Malcolm works to uncover Muhammad’s corrupt teachings while defending and inspiring Black Americans during the civil rights era. Connecting the activist’s life events—both personal and professional, in the United States and during his travels abroad—with contemporary literature, politics, and society, the narrative accessibly highlights Malcolm’s complex journey toward learning “how to stand up to what’s wrong. Even in oneself,” and to achieve a better understanding of himself and the world around him. Archival documents and b&w photographs appear throughout; extensive back matter concludes. Ages 10–14.

January 1, 2025
Born in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1925, Malcolm grew up hearing about Black nationalism and Black self-reliance. His early years were trauma-filled; while in prison in his twenties, Malcolm was introduced to books and to the Nation of Islam, and he credits both with saving his life. Kendi intertwines Malcolm's story with historical background and contemporary issues to help young readers see the connections between past and present. Accompanying photos, letters, and other archival reproductions are used to create a fuller picture of Malcolm X for middle-grade and middle-school readers.

(Copyright 2025 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from June 1, 2025
Grades 5-8 *Starred Review* This comprehensive biography of Malcolm X, published in honor of the centennial of his birth, comes from award-winning author Kendi, of 2019's How to Be a (Young) Antiracist and 2020's Stamped (for Kids) renown. The book, intended for a middle-grade audience, is consistently engaging and relatable, despite its daunting length (almost 350 pages of text, plus another 50 for source notes). There's plenty of satisfying backstory that effectively creates historical, social, and racial context, making both Malcolm X's personal story and his public, evolving religious and political convictions understandable and convincing. The story begins with his mother facing down the Klan while pregnant with Malcolm and continues through four-year-old Malcolm watching his house burn down after another Klan raid, his father's tragic death, and his mother's ensuing mental illness. All aspects of Malcolm's life are covered in detail, including his Harlem zoot-suiter and drug-peddling days, draft dodging, criminal career, and prison time, increasing the significance of his later conversion to Islam and civil rights activism. Nonsensational, rational coverage extends through his assassination and continuing legacy. Period photos and primary sources create immediacy; the tone is consistently accessible and appropriate for its intended audience. This impressive offering is sure to become the definitive biography of Malcolm X and belongs in school and public libraries.

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