Betty Before X

In the book’s dedication, Ilyasah Shabazz writes, “A society is measured by the progress of its women. My father said, ‘When you educate a boy, you teach a community; when you educate a girl, you raise a nation.’ I dedicate this book to his beloved wife, my mother, Dr. Betty Shabazz, whose belief in the potential of every single girl inspired me to share her story with you.” // Betty was taken from her teenage mother when she was little and raised by her Aunt Fannie Mae. When Betty was seven, Fannie Mae died, and Betty was sent back to live with her mother—and her three younger half-sisters, a stepfather, and two stepbrothers. She and her mother clash at every turn, and Betty eventually goes to live with an older childless couple from church. // Much of the book is about Betty and one of her friends joining the Housewives’ League as a junior member. One of the league’s goals is to get black people in the community to boycott any business that doesn’t hire black employees. They face racial discrimination, threats, and Betty loses one of her best friends whose mother doesn’t approve of the league’s bold fight against racism. // “They wait until I close the door and they think I can’t hear them. But I know how they talk and pray and sometimes cry about the way some white folks mistreat us. How even though this is the North and it’s not supposed to be like the South, it still has its hate, its prejudice, its inequality.” (103) // “Mrs. Peck takes the time to teach us girls so we can make sure everybody understands that Negroes are human beings, too. And as human beings we have feelings and we have power.” (150) // From the Author’s Note: “Her character is often commended by people who wonder how she was able to live under such fearful and challenging times as those of Jim Crow and the Civil Rights movement. I believe it was my mother’s childhood that prepared her to become Malcolm X’s wife, a mother of six daughters, and educator, and an advocate for girls and women. Her willingness to forgive, her passion for family, her love of sisterhood, and her dedication to standing up against injustice were cultivated in her early years.” (220)

Das Buch zeigt so wohl die Realität viele Schwarzer in den 30ern und 40ern als auch dass Betty Shabazz selbst eine von Kindheit an politisch aktive Person war. Ihr Leben verblasst leider oft vor dem Leben und Sterben von Malik Shabazz / Malcom X.

My students read this book as part of our remote learning unit at the end of the school year. I really liked the book, but what got me was that our 5th graders really enjoyed it more than I ever thought they would. I will include it every school year as one of my read alouds.

Such a wonderful book that gives children appropriate insight into the time period. I am a future teacher so I read this book for an assignment and absolutely fell in love!

Betty Before X depicts the life of Dr. Betty Shabazz before she became the wife of Malcolm X. It is was penned by her daughter, Illyasah Shabazz, and co-written by Renee Watson, the award-winning author of Piecing Me Together (2017). While it is a work of fiction, it is was inspired by real-life events with characters that are based on real people. It takes the reader back to her early childhood in Pinehurst, Georgia, “the kind of place you find when you’re looking for someplace else” to Detroit, Michigan, highlighting four formative years of her life (1945-1948).I appreciate this book for what it will teach the reader about Dr. Betty Shabazz’s childhood and experiences that shaped the foundation of the woman she became, “A devoted wife, a selfless mother, a compassionate friend, a bold activist, and – most importantly – a caring human being who lived her life with integrity and grace,” as elegantly stated in the backmatter of the book by her daughter. It will also give the reader an awareness of:1. The Housewives’ League – A national organization founded by Fannie B. Peck (1930), that had a very active local chapter in Detroit, Michigan. The group encouraged Black women to shop Black-Owned for the goods and services they needed.2. Leon Mosley – A 15-year-old boy who was murdered by police in Detroit, Michigan (1948)3. Paul Robeson – Well loved and known as a performer (actor, singer and more) but also as an advocate for civil rights.All of these things combined make this book such a treasure and as if that were not enough, the book concludes with a beautiful author’s note, an introduction of the characters, and a timeline of events highlighting the roots of Dr. Betty Shabazz’s legacy, speaking to her character and achievements, her devotion to family, to sisterhood, to justice and freedom. This book would be well suited for upper middle grade (4th/5th grade) through middle school and up.