VOYA
"If one can choose only one book about Malcolm X, this is the book of choice".--VOYA.
Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
"[Myers] seamlessly fuse[s] historical notes on the era with the activist's story... [a] carefully researched portrait of a deeply devoted individual," said PW in a starred review. Age 10-up. (Jan.)
School Library Journal
Gr 5 Up-- Myers organizes Malcolm X's life into four stages: his childhood; his adolescence; his period of working under Elijah Mohammad; and his life after breaking with the Nation of Islam. Throughout, his experiences and actions are presented in a broader social context, from the beliefs of Marcus Garvey, who exerted such an influence upon Malcolm's parents, to the culture of adolescent black males in the 1930s and 1940s, to the contrasts between the Nation of Islam's views and those of Martin Luther King, Jr, with all the shadings in between. The author discusses the evolution in Malcolm's character, as his belief in Islam gradually taught him that not all whites were the enemies of African-Americans. He strikes a good balance between his subject's personal life and broader social issues and movements. Myers does not judge whether or not Malcolm X's views were better than those of King, but rather shows how both appealed to specific audiences and contributed to the struggles of the 1960s. Surprisingly, though, there is very little discussion of current controversies that have emerged from the two points of view. Black-and-white photographs and a reproduction of a page from Malcolm's extensive FBI file help readers to visualize the key personages and events in America's past. Myers's evenhanded approach will provoke thought and discussion among reluctant readers, who may find Jack Rummel's fact-laden Malcolm X (Chelsea, 1989) slow going. --Lyn Miller-Lachmann, Siena College Library, Loudonville, NY
From the Publisher
Praise for Malcolm X: By Any Means Necessary:
A Coretta Scott King Honor Book
An ALA Notable Children's Book
An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
A Horn Book Fanfare Honor List selection
A Library of Congress Children's Book of the Year
"A fervent portrait." — Kirkus Reviews
* "Incisive, precise prose... [A] carefully researched portrait of a deeply devoted individual." — Publishers Weekly, starred review
JANUARY 2013 - AudioFile
JD Jackson’s narration of this 1994 biography has the understated assuredness of a master and keeps the focus on Walter Dean Myers’s beautiful text. Occasionally, Jackson’s voice resonates with pain, as it does during the tragedies of Malcolm’s childhood. Overall, Jackson’s voice is like a steady wind steering the story on a perfectly charted course. The text doesn’t shy away from the controversial or painful truths surrounding the civil rights leader. It asserts the validity of anger in the face of oppression without romanticizing it. Likewise, it deals with the comparisons made between Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X by digging deeper into the larger dialogue within the struggle for civil rights and showing the two leaders’ different perspectives to be parts of a larger whole. A.M.P. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine
