What is looked upon as an American dream for white people has long been an American nightmare for black people. Malcolm Xborn Malcolm Littleexperienced that nightmare firsthand even as a small boy, when white supremacists firebombed his family home. Such terrifying moments, along with years of daily racist insults and barriers, shaped Malcolms life, transforming him into one of the most articulate and rousing black nationalist leaders of all time. Beatrice Gormley, a prolific author of biographies for young people, captures Malcolm Xs growth: his youth as a petty criminal; jailhouse conversion to the Nation of Islam; marriage to Betty Shabazz, which yielded four children; break with Elijah Muhammad and embrace of traditional Islam; and assassination in Harlems Audubon Ballroom.
