Betty Before X
Ilyasah Shabazz, with Renée Watson
This fictionalized account follows Betty’s childhood before her later marriage to Malcolm X. Raised by her aunt in Georgia until age six, she joins her mother, stepfather, and stepfamily in Detroit after her aunt dies. In the late 1940s, Betty loves her younger sisters but is mistreated by her mother. She later finds a home with church members active in the Housewives’ League, which encouraged African Americans to boycott businesses that would not hire them.
This book appears on 4 reading lists across 2 editions from 4 organizations.
