Book Review of
I Am Malala
When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education.
On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, when she was fifteen, she almost paid the ultimate price. She was shot in the head at point-blank range while riding the bus home from school, and few expected her to survive.
Instead, Malala’s miraculous recovery has taken her on an extraordinary journey from a remote valley in northern Pakistan to the halls of the United Nations in New York. At sixteen, she became a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest nominee ever for the Nobel Peace Prize.
I AM MALALA is the remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls’ education, of a father who, himself a school owner, championed and encouraged his daughter to write and attend school, and of brave parents who have a fierce love for their daughter in a society that prizes sons.
I AM MALALA will make you believe in the power of one person’s voice to inspire change in the world.
Lynn's Review
My husband got me the book, I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban, for my birthday. He thought it was a book that I would enjoy because it was a subject and country that I had not read a lot about.
I remember Malala’s story being on the news when it happened, but I didn’t really know much about her beyond those basic news clips. The book I am Malala shares the story of how Malala, and really her whole family, stood up for education in Pakistan.
Not only does this book share Malala’s story, it shares the story of Swat Valley in Pakistan when the Taliban was taking over. This book tells a story that those of us in American can’t even really imagine. Reading Malala’s story is a reminder to be thankful for all that we have. Is America perfect? No, far from it, but we have freedom that other people in the world would love to have.
I will say that this isn’t the best written book that I have read. The story could have been written in a more narrative way. However, it is still a powerful book and one that I highly recommend.