Malcolm X for Beginners

School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up -- This is not a critical biography. The publisher calls it a ``documentary comic book.'' Doctor is a graphic artist, and each page is primarily an illustration. Images include Ku Klux Klansmen with flaming crosses, naked chained slaves, Malcolm as an armed robber and in jail with devil's horns, and a lynching. These pictures are the strongest part of the book. The hand-lettered text follows a rough chronological arrangement, but mentions only six dates, so that it is difficult to understand the sequence of events and historical context of Malcolm's early life. There are no footnotes, and the bibliography contains incomplete citations, so there is no way to tell if emotions and dialogue are authentic or simply the author's interpretation. Doctor also inserts comments that further disrupt the flow of the book. For example, ``Racism is an ugly monster that is as alive in America today as it was in Malcolm's time, devouring the soul of the country,'' appears between two pages dealing with events in the early 1960s. Quotations do not always appear in quotation marks, nor are they identified. Organizations are often referred to by initials, sometimes without explanation. Rather than being ``for beginners,'' this book is comprehensible only to those already familiar with the life of Malcolm X and the history of the late 20th century. The inconsistent style, incomplete historical information, and lack of organization make this book inappropriate for junior high school students or adult new readers. Though the illustrations are interesting, and the radical viewpoint needs expression, the audience for and purpose of the book is unclear. --Amy Healey, Chicago Pub. Lib.