I Am Malala, Malala Yousafzai, Little Brown and Company, 2013, 270 pp
This reading group pick turned out to be better than I expected. In case you missed it, MalalaYousafzai, aka The Girl Who Stood Up For Education and Was Shot By the Taliban, made headlines around the world after she was shot and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.
Her story is uplifting. Since she was a small girl, she loved to read and write, she loved school, and was encouraged by her father, a Pakistani advocate for education of both boys and girls. Hers and her father's outspoken presence in Pakistan drew the attention of the Taliban who eventually sent a young gunman to shoot her down while she was riding home from school in October, 2012. She lived through horrific medical procedures and recovered thanks to international outcry and support.
I learned from a child's POV what it was like growing up in Pakistan from 1997 to 2012. Still to this day she is not welcome in her country. Due to her transfer to Great Britain while she was fighting for her life, due to skillful surgeons and doctors, she recovered. She has continued to work for education, especially for women.
The book was co-written with British journalist Christina Lamb. It reads smoothly and I felt it captured Malala's childhood voice nicely. She was only 15 when she was shot. Her recovery took two years including several operations and extended physiotherapy.
Now anytime I feel angry about the lack of rights and opportunities for girls and women around the world, I think of Malala and what she endured. Apparently it is all a matter of enduring.
that's awful! sometimes i think humanity would be a lot better off if religion had never been invented... why can't humans just accept things the way they are instead of demanding super-realistic explanations? (pardon the rant)
ReplyDeleteIf you need a place to rant, you are always welcome here.
DeleteWomen have been "enduring" for a very long time, haven't we? Malala is truly an inspiration to us all.
ReplyDeleteIt sure feels like we have.
DeleteBravo for her and her father. Difficult choices were made and it almost cost her life. Now, thankfully, she is a role model for so many young women. I wonder whether she will ever be able to return to Pakistan?
ReplyDeleteIf I have read her right, she will never give up trying to return.
DeleteI am so happy your read I am Malala and liked it. Mind you, I am not surprised, I knew you would.
ReplyDeleteIf you would love to read more about women in this part of the world, Chrsitina Lamb has written another book about Afghanistan, The Sewing Circles of Herat. She is a great author and I loved that she co-wrote with Malala about a subject she knows so much about.
Thanks for the lovely review, Judy.
Thanks, Marianne, for the further reading suggestion.
DeleteAny time. That book by Christina Lamb is my favourite of all the Afghanistan books.
DeleteI listened to the audio of this one several years ago and was moved by her story. Now they have several versions for children of all ages as well.
ReplyDeleteI sure hope those versions for children are being used in schools.
DeleteI admire Malala's courage and endurance and will to fight for girls' education in the face of such evil. I hope she no longer suffers from any complications due to the horrific attack on her. I hope she will put out more books in her future.
ReplyDeleteYesterday I read, I think on Wikipedia, that she has taken a position with Apple to create content for kids.
DeleteFor every Malala who stands up and fights, there are so many girls who are suppressed, attacked, or killed. I am glad Malala's voice is heard and everyone gets to read just how much she had to struggle to get an education. I loved this book - I thought it captured her spirit and energy very well.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Her spirit is amazing, her energy and her faith.
DeleteShe's STILL not allowed in pakistan? I thought she would've been allowed by now!
ReplyDeleteI got my information about this on Wikipedia. Pakistan is still an unsettled place politically and otherwise and she made enemies there. But she has not given up hope.
DeleteI truly enjoyed this book!! I listened to the audio version.
ReplyDeleteIt is an inspiring story, for sure!
DeleteMalala is such an inspiration. I hope you get a chance to check out the children's book I mentioned that she wrote. It's haunting and beautiful and hopeful.
ReplyDeleteI have made a note of the children's book. I will get to it eventually.
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