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Growing Up X by Ilyasah Shabazz
About Ilyasah Shabazz
February 21, 1965-Malcolm X is assassinated in Harlem's Audubon Ballroom.
June 23, 1997-After surviving for a remarkable twenty-two days, his widow, Dr. Betty Shabazz, passes away from burns suffered in a fire.
In the years between, their six daughters reach adulthood, forged by the memory of their parents' love, the meaning of their cause, and the power of their faith. Now,
at long last, one of the daughters has recorded that touching and tumultuous journey in an unforgettable memoir: Growing Up X.
Ilyasah was the middle Shabazz child, a rambunctious live wire and self-described "mommy's girl" who fought for-and won-attention in an all-women household,
a warm place as full of fun as of learning, chaos, and love. From the first days after her father's assassination when the family was left homeless to the years of private
schools and personal body guards . . . from studying the Muslim faith to understanding the mystery of boys . . . from coming to terms with their father's assassination
to the shock of her mother's passing, Ilyasah's life is one of stunning contradictions: deprived and privileged, unique and endearingly normal.
Here is a girl carrying on the legacy of a renowned father and an indomitable mother while navigating childhood and, along the way, learning to do the hustle. Here is
a child who was a different color from the other children at camp and yet, years later as a young woman, was not radical enough for her college classmates. Above
all else, here is a tribute to a mother of almost unimaginable forbearance, a woman who "from that day at the Audubon when she heard the shots and threw her body
on [ours, never] stopped shielding her children."
Written with great warmth and simplicity-and featuring reminiscences of famous friends, colleagues, and acquaintances, such as Coretta Scott King, Muhammad
Ali and Spike Lee-Growing Up X is a fascinating look at a family many have admired from afar . . . and never seen so close.
Ilyasah Shabazz holds a masters of Science degree in education and human resource development from Fordham University. She is the Director of Public Affairs
and Special Events for the city of Mount Vernon, New York.
…As a child, I often dreamed of my father. Sometimes the dreams were flickering images: his face, his smile, his hand passing me an oatmeal cookie. Other times
they were long and complex, whole movies of my father in my mind. When I was ten, I dreamed I walked out the back door of our house, down the stairs, past the
grapevines, into the yard, and saw him sitting on the patio with the awning overhead and trees at the side. He sat in a huge chair, one that gleamed and glistened like
a throne. I was so excited to see him, so happy I could not contain myself. "Daddy! Daddy!" I yelled, running toward him. He grinned that beautiful, full-faced grin
the world seldom saw but which those who knew my father basked in. Suddenly he opened his arms wide. "Daddy!" I ran and ran and ran, but I could never get
close enough to touch him …
GROWING UP X Testimonials
"Almost every book is a twice told story. With each reading, the reader can safely say, I read of a life like this somewhere else. Growing Up X is a first told tale. Only Ilyasah Shabazz could have told this story and however painful the memories, I congratulate her on the courage to remember, the courage to see, and the courage to say what she saw."
--MAYA ANGELOU
"The daughters Shabazz had the trials and triumphs of growing up with the legacy of two extraordinary parents-Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz-a father of mythic stature and a mother of courage, determination and accomplishment. In this sensitive and candid memoir, Ilyasah bears witness to her own life and reflects on the times and events that helped shape it. Hers is a story of faith-religious faith, faith in the bonds of family and-despite cataclysmic tragedies that tested those beliefs-an unshakable faith in the future."
--PROFESSOR DERRICK BELL
Author, Faces at the Bottom of the Well
"Ilyasah Shabazz gives us an intimate look at the man who both revolutionized and nationalized the collective Black psyche. A cultural deity is rendered human by his daughter's clear-sighted portrait."
--BEBE MOORE CAMPBELL
Author, Your Blues Ain't Like Mine and What You Owe Me
"Growing Up X is both enlightening and poignant. It is a must read."
--JOHNNIE L. COCHRAN
"Ilyasah Shabazz's Growing Up X brings to light the significance of being loved and knowing that one is lovable. Ms. Shabazz and her sisters grew up in a deep-felt loving environment created by their mother, Dr. Betty Shabazz, and feeling the assuredness that their father, Malcolm X, shared a great love with their mother. Love has been the foundation that has united and fortified the Shabazz family so they could go through astounding obstacles."
--CAMILLE O. COSBY
GROWING UP X Testimonials
Page Two
"In Growing Up X, Ilyasah Shabazz has crafted a compelling testimony of coming of age in the wake of the 60s' triumphs and traumas, and the special challenge of overcoming expectations to become her own person. Though it begins and ends with an unspeakable loss, her story is yet one of sweetness, sadness and joy-a fitting tribute to the mother's courage of Betty Shabazz.
--RUBY DEE
"In the groundbreaking Growing Up X, Ilyasah Shabazz corrects the myths we have easily accepted as history about her beloved father Malcolm. Shabazz has also written a beautiful and inspirational story of an American family surviving great tragedy, led by a wise woman, Dr. Betty Shabazz, who refused to let assassins' bullets destroy herself, her six daughters, or a family's rich legacy."
--PATRICE GAINES
Author
"Ilyasah Shabazz has written a compelling and lyrical coming-of-age story as well as a candid and heart warming tribute to her parents. It is destined to become a classic."
--SPIKE LEE
"Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz were icons in the struggle for black freedom and human rights. In this extraordinary book, their third oldest daughter, Ilyasah Shabazz, presents an intimate portrait of her family's triumphs and tragedies. For everyone who has read and loved The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Growing Up X is absolutely essential. Ilyasah Shabazz presents with candor and loving care her family's recent difficulties, as well as the courageous contributions they have made toward a just society."
--DR. MANNING MARABLE
Professor of History and Political Science
Director, Institute for Research in African American Studies
Editor-in-Chief, The Malcolm X Project
Columbia University
"This is a warm and engaging book about how the family of Malcolm X survived and adapted after his assassination in 1965. Ilyasah and his 5 other daughters were raised by a nurturing and strong mother, Betty Shabazz. The picture painted here is a personal one that helps us to see Malcolm X and his family free from the typical media highlight of his so- called violent rhetoric. Malcolm's main mission, as passed on to his daughter, was to empower black people and to empower his children.
Growing Up X is an enlightening contribution to our understanding of the legacy of Malcolm X. This eye-opening book is wonderful reading for all Americans."
--ALVIN F. POUSSAINT, MD
Professor of Psychiatry,
Harvard Medical School
"Ilyasah Shabazz has written a powerful book that is an inspiration to people of all ages and backgrounds. Her story of living a life burdened with such a powerful legacy touches the inner being of all of us who have endured and overcome the challenges and obstacles put in our path. Ilyasah's tale is a true testament to the power of the human will and, most importantly, to staying strong in the face of adversity."
--TERRIE M. WILLIAMS
Founder, The Stay Strong Foundation
President, The Terrie Williams Agency
Author, The Personal Touch: What You Really Need to Succeed in Today's Fast-paced Business World and Stay Strong: Simple Life Lessons for Teens
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