X: A Novel Summary
Ilyasah Shabazz and Kekla Magoon

X: A Novel Overview

This biographical novel for young adults recounts the youth of African-American activist Malcolm X. The book is co-authored by Malcolm X's daughter, Ilyasah Shabazz. After young Malcolm's father is killed by white supremacists, Malcolm turns to a life of petty crime on the streets of Boston and Harlem. He ultimately embraces an ideology of racial empowerment while in prison. The novel addresses themes or racism, fatalism, pride, and respectability politics.