Malcom and Me is a middle grade book that follows the main character as she deals with serious family and school issues. She is inspired by a biography of Malcom X and by her own poetry to help her better make sense of the ups and downs of life. I feel like this book's idea is bigger than what was produced. I loved the synopsis and expected the book to deeply explore the pains of adolescence through the filter of Malcom X's writing. However, the narrative just seemed to skim the surface and the characters and dialogue read as flat to me. I was never emotionally invested in the story, nor did I connect with the issues beyond my own experience. Unfortunately, this book missed the mark for me. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of Malcolm and Me in exchange for an honest review!

First off, I'm pretty sure a lot of my criticisms of this book are super invalid. I went into it thinking it was YA when this very clearly is a middle grade read and as a result, had a lot of trouble getting invested because of how surface level the writing style and characters were. There is nothing wrong with this book, it just wasn't the book for me.

Malcolm and me follows our 13 year old protagonist, Roberta, as she tries to navigate family drama, her strict catholic school, and her attempts to navigate the changing human rights climate of the 1970s all while coping with that through learning about Malcolm X. It accomplishes everything it sets out to do and asks and answers a lot of interesting questions about race, but this is the kind of middle grade book that's for middle schoolers (revolutionary, I know), so if you also pick this up after seeing it misshelved as a YA book, you might also have trouble getting invested.

Great book, easy to read, and relatable for all.

"Malcolm and Me" is a book that follows the life of a 13 year old Roberta as she navigates going to a Catholic School, her parents separation, and growing up in general. She uses her passion for writing and reading a Malcolm X Autobiography to help process emotions and feel the sense of escape from a sometimes oppressive life.

Growing up is hard enough on its own, without adding in all the additional drama most of us have to go through. Robin Farmer did a wonderful job of showing the sense of internal struggle that teens/tweens feel as they try to grapple with what they've always known and been taught, and what they are seeing, feeling and experiencing for themselves. Even as an adult, I could relate to this character, as we are all changing and growing, grappling with similar issues, no matter our age.

The relationship and correlations between Malcolm X and his struggle, and Roberta trying to find herself, was an added benefit of this book. I believe the link was added in just the right snippets, not being too much about one or the other, but rather showing how our heroes in life sometimes come from unlikely places, and can help us see something we may not have otherwise seen.