X

 Book 113 of my 2023 Reading Challenge

read from December 2 - 16

X

by Ilyasah Shabazz

Summary (via the book jacket)

Before Malcolm X shook the world with his words and actions, his parents told him that he could achieve anything. But at fifteen, with his father murdered and his mother taken away, he figures there's no point in trying and escapes into a world of fancy suits, jazz, girls, and reefer. Deep down, he knows that the freedom he's found is only an illusion - and that he can't run from his past forever.

My Opinion

4 stars

This was a compelling novel but it had an extra undercurrent of sadness knowing it was based on the life of a real person.  My heart hurt reading it.