Malcolm Lives!: The Official Biography of Malcolm X for Young Readers

by Ibram X. Kendi

Overview

In collaboration with the Malcolm X Estate, this powerful biography for young readers is a modern classic in the making, written by #1 New York Times-bestselling, National Book Award-winning author Ibram X. Kendi.

Published 100 years after his birth, Malcolm Lives! is a ground-breaking narrative biography of one of the most influential Americans of all time.

Dr. Kendi expertly crafts a propulsive telling of Malcolm X’s life—from birth to death. He provides context for both Malcolm’s choices—and those around him—not just painting an intimate picture of a famous figure, but of the social and political landscape of America during the civil rights movement.

Ultimately, Malcolm's true legacy is a journey toward anti-racism. Just like history, Malcolm lives.

With short, evocative chapters, exclusive archival documents, photographs from the Malcolm X Collection at the NYPL Schomburg Center, and extensive backmatter,this is a thoughtful and accessible, must-read for all Americans.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780374311872
Publisher:	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date:	05/13/2025
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	400
File size:	73 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Dr. Ibram X. Kendi is a National Book Award-winning author of books for adults and children, including New York Times bestsellers like Stamped From the Beginning, Stamped for Kids, How to Raise an Anti-Racist, and Goodnight Racism. Dr. Kendi is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in Humanities at Boston University, and the director of the BU Center for Antiracist Research. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

Editorial Reviews

Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

"Vital, brilliant" —New York Times Book Review

"An expansive and immersive biography...Connecting the activist’s life events 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.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

"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." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"This thoroughly researched, beautifully rendered portrait of a complex and pivotal figure is recommended as an essential purchase." —School Library Journal, starred review

"This impressive offering is sure to become the definitive biography of Malcolm X and belongs in most school and public libraries." —Booklist, starred review

"Conversational in tone and diligently accessible, this biography delivers to young readers a life-sized portrait of Malcolm X... Dutifully sourced with extensive backmatter notes and, at times, intimately revealing, Kendi’s work follows in the tradition of Alex Haley’s famed collaboration with Malcolm and offers a remarkable successor by effectively presenting the past, considering the present, and welcoming young people into considering the future." —BCCB

From the Publisher

★ 2025-03-22
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)

Kirkus Reviews