Betty Before X

Content Warning: This section discusses anti-Black racism. It depicts scenes of racial discrimination and racist violence.

The author, Ilyasah Shabazz, is Betty Shabazz’s daughter. Although the story is a fictional rendering of her mother’s preteen years, Ilyasah had an insider’s view of her mother’s life, work, personality, and passions. Her co-author, Renee Watson, is an author whose acclaimed work on social issues make her a knowledgeable collaborator.

In one of the book’s Epigraphs, Ilyasah writes, “A society is measured by the progress of its women. My father said, ‘When you educate a boy, you teach a community; when you educate a girl, you raise a nation.’ I dedicate this book to his beloved wife, my mother, Dr. Betty Shabazz, whose belief in the potential of every single girl inspired me to share her story with you” (epigraph, v).

When writing about her mother in a fictional context, Ilyasah is committed to an authentic treatment of her mother’s story. The decision to write the book as fiction is notable, as a memoir about being the daughter of Betty Shabazz, or a traditional biography of Betty herself, would have been marketable.