Malcolm X: A Graphic Biography

by Andrew Helfer, Randy DuBurke (Illustrator)

Overview

“This stirring graphic-novel-style biography weaves together black history with the personal story of the charismatic leader Malcolm X” (Booklist).

Assassinated at age thirty-nine in 1965, Malcolm X battled the horrifying legacy of African American slavery throughout his short life. With this thoroughly researched and passionately drawn biography, award-winning editor Andrew Helfer and acclaimed artist Randy DuBurke capture the civil rights leader's extraordinary transformation from Malcolm Little, a black youth beaten down by Jim Crow America, into Malcolm X, the charismatic, controversial, and doomed national spokesman for the Nation of Islam.

A YALSA Best Book for Young Adults

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781429998130
Publisher:	Hill and Wang
Publication date:	07/02/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	113
File size:	13 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Andrew Helfer, as group editor at DC Comics, launched its Paradox Press imprint and the award-winning Big Books series, and worked on everything from Batman to The History of Violence.

Randy DuBurke's illustrations have appeared in The New YorkTimes Book Review, Mad Magazine, DC and Marvel comics, graphic novels, and science-fiction magazines. He is the winner of the 2004 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award for illustration. He lives in New York.

Read an Excerpt

Malcolm X

A Graphic Biography

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By Andrew J. Helfer

Hill and Wang

Copyright © 2006 Andrew J. Helfer
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4299-9813-0

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CHAPTER 1

HARD TIMES

MALCOLM'S FATHER, EARL LITTLE, WAS PART OF THIS MIGRATION. A CHILDHOOD SPENT IN GEORGIA, WHERE LYNCHINGS WERE FREQUENT, INSTILLED IN HIM A DESIRE FOR FREEDOM AND A CONVICTION THAT IT COULD NEVER BE WON IN WHITE AMERICA.

AS HE HEADED NORTH, HE WORKED AS AN ITINERANT PREACHER ...

... FOR MARCUS GARVEY'S UNIVERSAL NEGRO IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION (UNIA).

GARVERY AND HIS FOLLOWERS PREACHED A POLITICAL GOSPEL OF BLACK SEPARATISM. THE UNIA BELIEVED THAT ONLY BY SHAKING OFF ALL WHITE INFLUENCES COULD AFRICAN AMERICANS TRULY BE FREE.

DECADES LATER, MALCOLM X WOULD FIND A SIMILAR SEPARATIST CAUSE IN THE NATION OF ISLAM (NOI).

MALCOLM'S MOTHER, LOUISE NORTON, WAS AS LIGHT-SKINNED AS EARL LITTLE WAS DARK LOUISE'S BIOLOGICAL FATHER WAS A WHITE MAN WHO HAD RAPED HER MOTHER.

THE LITTLE FAMILY SETTLED IN OMAHA, NEBRASKA, WHERE EARL VISITED LOCAL BLACK CHURCHES TO PREACH GARVEY'S GOSPEL OF BLACK PRIDE AND SELF-SUFFICIENCY.

EARL'S 'SUBVERSIVE' SPEECHES ATTRACTED THE ATTENTION OF THE OMAHA CHAPTER OF THE KU KLUX KLAN.

MALCOLM WROTE THAT JUST BEFORE HE WAS BORN, A GROUP OF ANGRY KLANSMEN TO THE LITTLE HOME LATE ONE NIGHT, INTENDING TO BURN IT TO THE GROUND.

THEY WERE MET AT THE DOOR BY MALCOLM'S FIERCELY DEFIANT-AND QUITE PREGNANT-MOTHER, WHO SINGLE-HANDEDLY TURNED THEM AWAY.

YEARS LATER, MALCOLM WOULD RETELL THE STORY AS AN EXAMPLE OF THIS PARENT'S COURAGE AND THE EVILS OF WHITE SOCIETY. HE BELIEVED IT FORESHADOWED THE DIRECTION HIS OWN LIFE WOULD TAKE.

HIS MOTHER, FOR HER PART, HAD NO MEMORY OF THE EVENTS.

THE KLAN'S THREATS STRENGTHENED EARL LITTLE'S RESOLVE TO SPREAD THE WORD OF GARVEY'S PLAN FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN SELF-SUFFICIENCY ...

... EVEN THOUGH HE KNEW THIS GUARANTEED THAT THE KLANSMEN WOULD RETURN.

ON MAY 19, 1925, MALCOLM LITTLE WAS BORN. EARL HAD LONG PLANNED TO NAME HIS SON AFTER HIMSELF.

BUT AFTER HIS FIRST LOOK AT THE INFANT, HE CHANGE HIS MIND.

HE LOOKS WHITE, LIKE HIS MAMA!

HIS NEW SON WAS NOT DARK-SKINNED ENOUGH TO TAKE HIS FATHER'S NAME. INSTEAD, HE WAS CALLED MALCOLM.

THE FAMILY MOVED SHORTLY AFTER MALCOLM'S BIRTH, FIRST TO MILWAUKEE AND THEN TO LANGING, MICHIGAN, WHERE EARL CONTINUED PREACHING FOR THE UNIA.

BLACK CONGREGATIONS APPLAUDED EARL'S MESSAGE BUT HAD SCANT MONEY TO GIVE HIM STILL, BY 1929 THE LITTLES MANAGED TO BUY A SMALL FARMHOUSE.

THE FAMILY, HOWEVER, HAD PRECIOUS LITTLE MONEY TO MAKE ENDS MEET. EARL WAS FED BY GRATEFUL PARISHIONERS, BUT HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN OFTEN WENT HUNGRY.

TENSIONS GREW WITHIN THE FAMILY. EARL, NEVER A PATIENT MAN, BEGAN BEATING HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN AT THE SLIGHTEST PROVOCATION.

ONLY MALCOLM FOR REASONS THAT HE BELIEVED HAD TO DO WITH HIS LIGHTER SKIN COLOR, ESCAPED HIS FATHER'S WRATH.

THIS ALREADY DESPERATE SITUATION SOON GOT WORSE. AGAIN, RACE WAS THE REASON.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Malcolm X by Andrew J. Helfer. Copyright © 2006 Andrew J. Helfer. Excerpted by permission of Hill and Wang.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Contents

Title Page,
CHAPTER ONE: HARD TIMES,
CHAPTER TWO: RECKLESS YOUTH,
CHAPTER THREE: EYES WIDE OPEN,
CHAPTER FOUR: THE HUSTLER LIFE,
CHAPTER FIVE: A DOWNWARD SPIRAL,
CHAPTER SIX: ONE LAST HUSTLE,
CHAPTER SEVEN: SATAN BEHIND BARS,
CHAPTER EIGHT: FREE AT LAST,
CHAPTER NINE: A NEW LEADER,
CHAPTER TEN: SINS OF THE FATHER,
CHAPTER ELEVEN: HAJJ,
FURTHER READING,
Copyright Page,

Reading Group Guide

Questions for Discussion

1. This work of graphic nonfiction, perhaps significantly, is presented entirely in black and white. Point out a few instances in the book where you think its black and white illustrations meaningfully reflect—or effectively represent—the racial or thematic colors of black and white. (You might also consider the photographs at book's end when preparing your answer.)

2. One of the few full-page illustrations in this work is the first picture we see. Who is this man? Describe his pose, his facial expression, his appearance. What is he holding? What do we learn, at the outset, about this man, just from seeing how he is depicted here?

3. The first speech balloon in this book is on page 7: "He looks white, like his mama!" Why might this be important, as the book's very first line of dialogue, especially given what is being said, who is saying it, and about whom the remark is made?

4. On page 15, we see a montage on the lower half of the page; it's the first of a few montages employed throughout Helfer and DuBurke's book. What all is shown here; what is being to revealed to us—not just people, but also places, things, words, ideas, activities. Also, what other montages did you find in this work?

5. What is a "conk"? And a "second story man"? And a "hipster"? (These terms all appear in Chapter Three.)

6. On page 33—and earlier in the book, on page 17, as well as later, on pages 74 and 95 — we see the image of Malcolm X reflected in a mirror. In each case, with each illustration, describe what Malcolm is physically doing as we see him, and describe whether and how his actions are entirely or accurately captured in his reflection. What does it mean—actually, psychologically, and conceptually—to view, and also to depict, the mirror image of something?

7. Look again at the white people appearing in the bottom panel of page 60. How has this family been drawn, in your view? Stereotypically, comically, unfairly, oddly, accurately, realistically, or otherwise? Explain.

8. Talk about the importance of perspective—that is, one's point of view, both visually and philosophically—in the panel illustration on the bottom half of page 65. What famous event is Malcolm shown observing? What is his perspective on this event? How has this P.O.V. been graphically shared with us?

9. Chapter Eleven of this book is entitled, "Hajj." What does this word mean? And why do you think the book switches to first-person narration at this juncture? What effect did this switch have on you, as a reader? And how was this switch underscored visually — that is, how was it accomplished in terms of illustration, and how was it textually emphasized on the page?

10. Why is Malcolm's face shown amid flames in the lower-right panel on page 97? What appears in the panel just before this one? And how does this preceding image set us up for, or else relate to, the picture in the lower-right corner? Discuss the use of fire as a visual metaphor in Malcolm X, especially near the end of Malcolm's life.

Editorial Reviews

"A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything." Though cut down by an assassin's bullet just months before his 40th birthday, Malcolm X (1925-65), a.k.a. Malcolm Little, had already left a powerful imprint on American history. This "novel graphic" recapitulates the dramatic path of Malcolm's life, from his early experiences with racism through his political and religious conversions. Graphic and unforgettable.

Helfer and DuBurke tell the story of Malcolm X's short life—his meeting with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the two leaders describing the opposite ideological ends of the fight for civil rights; and his eventual assassination by other members of the Nation of Islam (NOI)—in narration and detailed b&white drawings, sharp as photographs in a newspaper. The portrait is frank and at times unflattering, pointing out the inconsistencies in Malcolm X's own autobiography. From his slow slide into the criminal—moving from hustler to dealer to the head of a ring of thieves for which he was finally sent to prison—to his jailhouse conversion to Islam, Helfer and DuBurke don't shy from any part of their subject's life. Unfortunately, as the story gets into the complicated dynamics within the NOI and Malcolm X's eventual break from the group, the narrative becomes tangled. The same drawings that make Malcolm X's youth so vivid can't portray the political in-fighting with the same clarity, giving instead a glance at the last few years of his life. Nevertheless, Helfer and DuBurke have created an evocative and studied look at not only Malcolm X but the racial conflict that defined and shaped him. (Nov.)

Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 10 & Up - This brief novelization opens with a dramatic image of Malcolm posing with a rifle, highlighting the conflict that defined his short life. The story begins shortly before his death, and the sense of tension established by his looming assassination is maintained throughout the book. Those already familiar with Malcolm X's autobiography will find a compelling retelling of his life, and those new to the subject will be introduced to a whirlwind tour of mid-20th-century history through the eyes of an influential figure in the Civil Rights Movement. The defining moments of Malcolm's life are presented here in a condensed format-his upbringing in the Midwest, his rowdy teenage years as a hustler in Boston and Harlem, and his time in prison, leading ultimately to his public life as a member of the Nation of Islam and the Black Muslim movement in the 1960s. The black-and-white illustrations give shape to the figures depicted through the use of shadows and high-contrast silhouettes. Many of the drawings have the quality of photographs that have been repeatedly photocopied until fine details disappear, lending a documentary feel to the imagery.-Heidi Dolamore, San Mateo County Library, CA

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

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