Malcolm X: A Fire Burning Brightly (ISBN 0060562013)

Amazon.com Review:
"I am for truth, no matter who tells it. I'm for justice, no matter who it is for or against." These words were spoken by the controversial civil rights activist Malcolm X in 1965, the same year he was assassinated in Harlem, New York. Born Malcolm Little, Malcolm X spent much of his life speaking out for the equality of black people and the need for individuals to take personal responsibility for their own success in America. Originally from in Nebraska and raised in Michigan, Maalcolm moved to Boston when he was 14 years old. Boston and New York represented a whole new world to him, a world where black people seemed sharp, cool, and slick. The newly zoot-suited, snappy hat-wearing Malcolm also fell into a Boston gang, and when he was 21 years old, was imprisoned for robbery. Once in prison, he became an avid reader and letter writer. His brother Reginald told him about the Nation of Islam, a political and religious organization dedicated to the betterment of black people, and he became a correspondent of the group's leader, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Upon his release in 1952 he became Malcolm X, as many black Muslims dropped their family names for "X," which represented a lost African name. As Malcolm X, he preached equality, and much to the dismay of many, separatism of blacks and whites. He felt strongly that a revolution was in order, that black people shouldn't rule out violence as an option to effect change. "You don't have a peaceful revolution," he said. "You don't have a turn the cheek revolution. There's no such thing as a nonviolent revolution!" In 1964, he broke with the Nation of Islam and went to Mecca. And it wasn't until 1965 that he came to a gentler, less divisive approach to justice: "I believe in recognizing every human being as a human being--neither white, black, brown, or red." Walter Dean Myers is an award-winning writer of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for young people, and has penned a masterful, even-handed biography of Malcolm X for young readers. Leonard Jenkins, illustrator of Sunflower Island by Carol Greene, brings his bold, beautiful, collage-style paintings to the life of a man whose fire burned brightly and went out too quickly. A chronology in the back of the book marks the important dates in the life of Malcolm X; quotations trace his spiritual and philosophical development. (Ages 8 and older) --Karin Snelson

Outstanding!:
This book really captures the heart, the mind, and the troubles of Malcolm X and society in the 1960's. The beautiful illustrations are wonderful at expressing complex emotions and complement the words of Walter Dean Myers extemely well. This book is fabulous as children seek to understand the complexities of those turbulent times.

Malcolm X for Kids:
This book is a good one. It is written by Walter Dean Myers who is an excellent children's writer. It covers basic facts about Malcolm X and truthfully provides his life history. What it doesn't cover and what probably would be difficult for kids in the intended age group is the controversy which is Malcolm X's philosophy and life. Malcolm X coined the term African-American because he felt that blacks in the US were Africans trapped in America. He believed in separatism and violent protest instead of Martin Luther King Jr.'s advocacy of non-violence. Myers states this but doesn't qualify the beliefs with opinion. Kind of tough for kids to hear without evaluation. I'm not sure how else it could have been done but Malcolm X is a controversial character.