Publishers Weekly reviews POSTCARDS FROM MALCOLM X!

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Postcards from Malcolm X: How Yuri Kochiyama Became a Human Rights Activist

Mia Wenjen, illus. by Keith Henry Brown. Red Comet, $24.99 (42p) ISBN 978-1-63655-089-3

This stirring biography from Wenjen (Barbed Wire Between Us) and Brown (Pushing Hope) chronicles how the quiet advocacy of Japanese American activist Yuri Kochiyama expanded into a lifelong commitment to social justice. Brief passages trace how, at 20, Kochiyama (1921–2014) “saw the world in a different way and vowed to fight against hatred” after witnessing her father’s death following his wrongful imprisonment in the aftermath of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. When her family was sent to an incarceration camp, she packed stationery, envelopes, and stamps; “Letters were her lifeline,” and her primary vehicle for protest, connection, and change. After WWII, Kochiyama married and settled in Harlem, where she and her family joined demonstrations advocating for Black and Puerto Rican workers. An arrest during a protest brought her to a Brooklyn courthouse, where she met Malcolm X, with whom she began a correspondence that endured throughout his travels overseas in 1964. Their friendship, grounded in a shared commitment to justice, became a defining influence on Kochiyama’s activism. Conversational prose and loose ink and watercolor artwork capture the warmth of their bond and its enduring impact. The result is an approachable and energetic portrait of an activist. Extensive back matter concludes. Ages 8–12. (Oct.)

p.s. Related posts:

Q&A with POSTCARDS FROM MALCOLM X Illustrator Keith Henry Brown

School Library Journal reviews POSTCARDS FROM MALCOLM X

Postcards from Malcolm X picture book trailer!

Postcards from Malcolm X Unboxing!

Kirkus Reviews POSTCARDS FROM MALCOLM X

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