  | Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X : the fatal friendship Author: Roberts, Randy | |
| Price: $23.28 | ||
Summary:
Freshly adapted for young readers, this in-depth portrait showcases the complex bond between Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X, revealing how Malcolm aided in molding Cassius Clay into Muhammad Ali and helped him become an international symbol of Black pride and Black independence.
| Added Entry - Personal Name: | Smith, John Matthew |
| Weston, Margeaux |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (08/15/23)
School Library Journal (+) (12/22/23)
Booklist (09/15/23)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (00/10/23)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 09/15/2023 This young readers' version of the adult title Blood Brothers: The Fatal Friendship between Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X (2016) documents a turbulent time during the civil rights movement. Set in the late 1950s and early ’60s, alternating chapters chronicle the developing friendship between Cassius Clay, a brash young Olympic gold medalist trying to break into the established world of professional boxing, and Malcolm X, an outspoken minister in Elijah Muhammad's Nation of Islam. The text provides ample historical and social context, explaining the sharp contrast between the Nation of Islam and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and other civil rights organizations' tactics, and creates insightful profiles of both men, showing how each found purpose and meaning in the Nation of Islam until both were eventually betrayed. The most compelling parts are the fight scenes that vividly recreate Clay/Ali's heavyweight championship bouts, and much attention is given to Ali's highly anticipated interactions with the press. This abbreviated version will help teens sort through this period's various allegiances and influences, and the promised back matter should interest researchers. - Copyright 2023 Booklist.
School Library Journal - 12/22/2023 Gr 5 Up—This middle grade adaptation of Blood Brothers: The Fatal Friendship Between Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X offers an illuminating account of the friendship and falling out of icons Malcolm X and Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali) set against the backdrop of the tumultuous 1960s. Clay was a cocky and controversial boxer, and fiery Malcolm X was the face of the Nation of Islam. Malcom X served as a guide for Clay as the fighter converted to Islam and eventually became Muhammad Ali. Both loyal followers of Elijah Muhammad, they were separated because of the spiritual leader's machinations to keep his power over the Nation of Islam. As each chapter lays down the path from loyalty to betrayal, readers already in the know will turn pages with dread as the authors expertly build up to the fateful, inevitable conclusion. Those new to the history will slowly piece together the truth until its shocking reveal. The concluding chapter speaks of restoration and reconciliation between Ali and Malcolm X's family. The authors adeptly find balance between the small, fraternal moments the two men shared in their home lives and the larger-than-life events that have been immortalized in history and popular culture. The narrative is sometimes winding, but patient readers will be rewarded by a nuanced look at the complicated friendship that shaped so much of Black history. An insert of black-and-white photos makes the events even more tangible for young readers. VERDICT From Civil Rights to Black Pride and Black Lives Matter, there isn't one social justice movement that these two men haven't impacted. Purchase for all American history shelves.—Shelley M. Diaz - Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
