He discourages his siblings from visiting him in prison, not wanting them to see just how much he has suffered. Trying to survive he becomes known as “Satan” in Charlestown Prison due to his volatile temper and anger at the entire situation.

In prison he becomes numb to the violence, drug use and abusive prison guards. As a young man Malcolm Little is sent to prison for a stolen watch. The Awakening of Malcolm X tracks his experiences within prison mixed with flashbacks of his life with his siblings before prison. While this book chronologically follows X: A Novel, it can be read as a stand-alone historical novel that invites larger discussions on black power, prison reform, and civil rights. Here is an intimate look at Malcolm X’s young adult years. And as his time in jail comes to an end, he begins to awaken - emerging from prison more than just Malcolm Little: Now, he is Malcolm X. Malcolm grapples with race, politics, religion, and justice in the 1940s. He reads all the books in the prison library, joins the debate team and the Nation of Islam. Slowly, he befriends other prisoners and writes to his family.

Plagued by nightmares, Malcolm drifts through days, unsure of his future. In Charlestown Prison, Malcolm Little struggles with the weight of his past. No one can be at peace until he has his freedom. The Awakening of Malcolm X is a powerful narrative account of the activist’s adolescent years in jail, written by his daughter Ilyasah Shabazz along with 2019 Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe award-winning author, Tiffany D.

Awakening of malcolm x