Betty Before X

Description

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. Activists like Paul Robeson stir African Americans in her community to stand up for their rights. Betty finds purpose in volunteering for the Housewives League, which 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 in collaboration with novelist Renee Watson-Ilyasah Shabazz illuminates four years in her mother's childhood with this book, painting an inspiring portrait of a girl grappling with self-acceptance and belonging that will resonate with young readers today. Backmatter included.

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 her latest book, 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. ilyasahshabazz.com Renee Watson is the author of This Side of Home. Her picture book Harlem's Little Blackbird: The Story of Florence Mills received 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. reneewatson.net

...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