Malcolm X A Fire Burning Brightly Author:Walter Dean Myers "We never can win freedom and justice and equality until we are doing something for ourselves!"Malcolm X learned from his father that black people should demand equality by taking their lives and futures into their own hands. Malcolm believed in this idea. It was one he lived by.Though Malcolm faced hard times growing up and even went to jail, h... more »e turned his life around. He read books and combined lessons he'd learned from his father and from the religious leader Elijah Muhammad. Soon Malcolm would become a powerful leader in the struggle for blacks to achieve equality.Malcolm died tragically when he was only thirty-nine, but his beliefs live on today. Walter Dean Myers's evenhanded narrative and Leonard Jenkins's striking paintings celebrate the man and the fiery message he brought to all people of color."I believe in recognizing every human being as a human being, neither white, black, brown, nor red."Malcolm X was one of the most controversial civil rights leaders of our century. This compelling narrative for picture-book readers explores Malcolm's journey from his tragic childhood to his life as a street hustler, a Black Muslim, a prison inmate, and a fearless leader in the struggle for blacks to achieve equality. Walter Dean Myers skillfully weaves quotes from Malcolm's speeches to re-create the life and times of this extraordinary man. His dynamic text and Leonard Jenkins' boldly colored, richly textured paintings celebrate Malcolm X and his fiery message.Children's Books 2000-NY Public Lib.« less