Betty Before X

by Ilyasah Shabazz, Renée Watson

Overview

Betty Before X is a powerful middle-grade fictionalized account of the childhood activism of Betty Shabazz, Malcolm X’s wife, written by their daughter Ilyasah Shabazz.

In Detroit, 1945, eleven-year-old Betty’s house doesn’t quite feel like home. She believes her mother loves her, but she can’t shake the feeling that her mother doesn’t want her. Church helps those worries fade, if only for a little while. The singing, the preaching, the speeches from guest activists like Paul Robeson and Thurgood Marshall stir African Americans in her community to stand up for their rights. Betty quickly finds confidence and purpose in volunteering for the Housewives League, an organization that supports black-owned businesses. Soon, the American civil rights icon we now know as Dr. Betty Shabazz is born.

Inspired by Betty's real life—but expanded upon and fictionalized through collaboration with novelist Renée Watson—Ilyasah Shabazz illuminates four poignant years in her mother’s childhood with this book, painting an inspiring portrait of a girl overcoming the challenges of self-acceptance and belonging that will resonate with young readers today.

Backmatter included.

"[T]his moving fictional account of the early life of the late civil rights leader and widow of Malcolm X draws on the recollections of family and friends. The result is a heart-rending imagining of Shabazz's personal challenges as well as a rare, intimate look at the complex roots of the American civil rights movement. A personal, political and powerful imagining of the early life of the late activist." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Absorbing . . . History comes alive in this illuminating portrayal of the early life of this civil rights activist." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

"An excellent work of historical fiction that will illuminate and spark discussion." —School Library Journal, starred review

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250294180
Publisher:	Square Fish
Publication date:	12/31/2018
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	275,372
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Ilyasah Shabazz, third daughter of Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz, is an educator, activist, motivational speaker, and author of multiple award-winning publications, including X: A Novel. She is also an active advocacy worker and an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City.

Renée Watson is the author of This Side of Home, which was nominated for the Best Fiction for Young Adults by the American Library Association. Her picture book Harlem’s Little Blackbird: The Story of Florence Mills received several honors including an NAACP Image Award nomination in children’s literature. She is also the founder of the I, Too Arts Collective and currently teaches courses on writing for children at University of New Haven and Pine Manor College.

Editorial Reviews

"...this moving fictional account of the early life of the late civil rights leader and widow of Malcolm X draws on the recollections of family and friends. The result is a heart-rending imagining of Shabazz's personal challenges as well as a rare, intimate look at the complex roots of the American civil rights movement. A personal, political and powerful imagining of the early life of the late activist." —Kirkus starred review

"...absorbing...History comes alive in this illuminating portrayal of the early life of this civil rights activist..." —Publishers Weekly starred review

"An excellent work of historical fiction that will illuminate and spark discussion."—School Library Journal starred review

"The lessons from Betty’s life are abundant: forgiveness, gratitude for life’s blessings, and planting seeds for the future. Her response to hardship and injustice is timeless."—Booklist

"Set mostly in the black neighborhoods of 1940s Detroit, this affecting novel covers Betty’s life from age eleven...to just before the start of high school... The authors tell Betty’s story in an engaging and accessible first-person voice; they manage to portray Betty as a relatable pre-teen who likes to dance to Billy Eckstine records and read Ebony magazine even as they lay the groundwork for the remarkable woman she will grow up to be." —The Horn Book

From the Publisher

★ 10/30/2017
The daughter of Betty Shabazz and Malcolm X, Shabazz (X: A Novel) joins with Watson (Piecing Me Together) to tell this absorbing fictionalized account of her mother’s formative years. In a straightforward but engaging narrative voice, Betty describes living with three maternal figures, who offer different strategies for coping with life’s difficulties. When Betty sees the victims of a lynching as a child in Georgia, Aunt Fannie Mae tells her, “Baby, some things we just have to take to the Lord.” In Detroit, her stern biological mother, Ollie Mae, tries to shield her from knowledge of race riots (“You have enough years ahead of you to know pain, Betty Dean”). After a beating, Betty moves in with Mrs. Malloy, an inspiring leader in the Housewives League. In response to her growing awareness of racism, Betty ponders Malloy’s philosophy (“Have faith in the Lord and find the good and praise it”) and develops an affinity for community organizing. History comes alive in this illuminating portrayal of the early life of this civil rights activist, which is bolstered by substantial endnotes. Ages 10–14. Agent: Jason Anthony, Massie & McQuilkin. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

★ 12/01/2017
Gr 4–6—This novel centering the girl who would become the wife of Malcolm X and accomplish much on her own after his assassination reminds readers that even legendary figures are real people. Betty Dean Sanders was born in 1934 in Pinehurst, GA. At barely a year old, she was taken from her mother, Ollie Mae, because there was evidence of abuse. She lived with her grandmother and aunt until she was seven. When Aunt Fannie Mae died, Betty was sent to Detroit to live again with Ollie Mae. The mother-daughter relationship was never comfortable, and when there was more abuse, Betty was taken in, at the age of 11, by Lorenzo and Helen Malloy, who raised her until she left for college. The authors highlight Betty's personal trials and those of the civil rights struggle. Emotional but not melodramatic, the facts and events speak for themselves. Readers will acutely feel the confusion and pain Betty experiences with her mother, her anger at the treatment of African Americans, and the hopefulness instilled by Helen Malloy and her Housewives' League as they boycott businesses which will not hire blacks. There is also the warmth of Betty's community, the love of her sisters, the peace she finds in her faith, and the joy of her accomplishments. VERDICT An excellent work of historical fiction that will illuminate and spark discussion. Pair this with Shabazz's X: A Novel for a well-rounded picture of the couple and their times.—Katherine Koenig, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

School Library Journal

Ilyasah Shabazz, Malcolm X’s daughter, narrates her middle-grade novel about four years in her mother’s life, starting in 1945, when Betty was 11 years old. The story shows how Betty became an activist in the Civil Rights movement. In clear, measured tones, the author recounts Betty’s discomfort with her home life and her work with the Housewives League, which supported black-owned businesses. She also discusses speeches made by influential figures of the day in Betty’s church. Shabazz differentiates between Betty and her mother, Ollie Mae Sanders, through pitch and projects the latter’s frequent annoyance, showing why Betty often felt underappreciated. An afterword helps young listeners understand Betty Shabazz’s importance in American history and and provides additional discussion on the other people in the narrative. E.J.F. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2018 - AudioFile

★ 2017-10-16
A passion for social justice blossoms during the middle school years for the girl who grew up to become Dr. Betty Shabazz.Loved but unwanted by her mother, 11-year-old Betty finds solace in friends and church. In 1945 Detroit, Betty's African-American church community is a hub for activism in the face of Jim Crow racism, police brutality, and economic inequality. With renowned guests such as Thurgood Marshall and Paul Robeson coming to speak and perform, Betty and her friends are swept up in the fervor and demand for social justice that would become a movement. They volunteer for the Housewives' League, a group that encourages the community to give its dollars to black-owned and -employing businesses. But the movement is also personal for Betty, who struggles to find her place in a world that treats brown-skinned black girls as lesser—less beautiful, less worthy, less deserving. Authored by her daughter Ilyasah Shabazz in collaboration with Watson, this moving fictional account of the early life of the late civil rights leader and widow of Malcolm X draws on the recollections of family and friends. The result is a heart-rending imagining of Shabazz's personal challenges as well as a rare, intimate look at the complex roots of the American civil rights movement. A personal, political, and powerful imagining of the early life of the late activist. (Historical fiction. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews