I Am Malala (Young Readers Edition)

Great book everyone should read. Courage and optimism come shining through.

It would be disrespectful to discuss Malala Yousafzai’s story without first discussing her cause. Millions of children around the world are denied the right to education. Child labor, sex trafficking, war, and other major issues continue to bring about child suffering and oppression. Malala’s story should be a call to activism. This is a fight we should all join, for without education, there is no hope for peace. What happened to Malala, therefore, is important in so much as it is a reminder of the stakes. There are forces in the world seeking to oppress education, especially for women. Education is the enemy of regimes founded on terror, patriarchy, and privilege. Yet, it is an idea with no face and a billion faces. This book tells a simple, but powerful story. It begins by establishing the charmingly average life of a Pakistani family. They are like any other household. Then natural disaster hits in the form of a 7.6 earthquake and this opens the doors for Taliban extremists to broker public fear into power. The Yousafzai family finds themselves at the heart of the conflict in their hometown of Swat, and they decide it is better to die on your feet than live on your knees. Malala’s father leads the way, and Malala finds her first platform to tell the world of the injustices being imposed by the Taliban. She was only 10. Suddenly this ordinary girl grows into an extraordinary voice, and it nearly cost her life. The second half of this book deals with Malala’s recovery after her near death experience at the hands of the Taliban. It is even more about how she rediscovered her voice and doubled-down on her activism. I found myself inspired by her mix of humility and passionate resolve, as well as her commitment to her own education even as she became an international figure. I highly recommend this book for teens, especially American teens who, despite our own issues in terms of access and equity, often seem to take education for granted. While American education is compulsory for all, it is not guaranteed in perpetuity. The fight to ensure we can continue providing education for all of our nation’s children cannot stop. Threats of defunding, the rise of private charters, and obscene income disparity all challenge the quality of and access to our public school system. There’s a thin line between America and Pakistan, and Malala’s story is a prime example of how those lines can be crossed.

A powerful read by Malala Yousafzai, the girl born in Pakistan and shot by Taliban only because she wanted to go to school and be educated and who later went on to be the youngest ever to win a Nobel Peace Prize. She never stopped to dream although her life was caught between the military and the militants. TV, music, going to school was forbidden or considered 'haram' in her country cutting her and her community completely from the outside world. She talks about the strange feeling of getting used to bombing, shelling and darkness as a 11 year old. On the flip side, she also narrates her beautiful bond between a father and daughter, the cute rivalry between siblings, the precious close knit bonding within the family reminding me of my own. My fav line from the book: "Sometimes when the journalists see my brothers playing so freely, they ask if I am being robbed of a childhood by my campaign for children’s rights. I tell them to think of a girl who is married off at eleven. Or a little boy who has to pick through the rubbish heap to earn money for his family. Or the children who have been killed by bombs and bullets. They are the ones who have been robbed of a childhood." Malala turned a tragedy into an opportunity. Need I say more? Pick up and read this book today.

Malala is a Pashtun girl that lived in Mingora the largest city in Swat Valley, Pakistan. Her father started a school three years before she was born, that she attends. Every day she would observe the women that would wear burqas and gloves and not show a bit of skin, but Malala and her mother only wore head scarves. Many girls did not go to school. Some men would say “Why send a girl to school?” “She doesn’t need an education to run a house.” One day there was a 7.6 earthquake that left northern parts of Pakistan devastated.The government was slow to arrive, but the religious islamic group came immediately led by Sufi Mohammad and his son-in-law Fazlullah. Religious leaders called Mullahs, preached it was a warning from God. They said that if they did not change their ways to Islamic Religious Law more severe punishment would come. The country was vulnerable since the earthquake made it easier for someone with bad intentions to use the country’s fear for his gain. One day Malala was walking with her friend to school one day and a man across the street stared at them. Then one night he came with six elders to her house and told Malala’s father to close down the school. People thought it was un-Islamic for girls to go to school. The elders were supposedly on the side of Fazlullah that was running an illegal radio broadcast, which said things about who he thought was un-Islamic. Malala’s father did not listen or close the school. People were killed for not obeying Fazlullah. Police and the government could not stop him. They were not even allowed to watch television. Girls were dropping out of school everyday, because it was unsafe. Her father got a letter from the Taliban, Malala’s father replied the next day, and his full name and school address appeared in the newspaper. A friend of Malala’s father called, and said “Now many people will have the courage to speak up.” People still did not speak up. There were bombings all over, and many thousands of men from the Taliban army were fighting. Malala’s father still spoke out against the Taliban. A television crew arrived at her school and interviewed the girls. That was Malala’s chance to speak, and she did. In 2008 Swat Valley was being attacked Malala spoke to local and national TV channels, radios, and newspapers. One afternoon she heard her father on the phone talking to a friend that worked for the British Broadcasting Corporation network (BBC). They were looking for someone who could write a diary about life under the Taliban. A few girls wanted to do it, but their parents thought it was to risky. So Malala asked to do it, and her parents approved. She talked on the phone with the BBC correspondent and he suggested Malala to use a fake name. Her first entry appeared on January 3, 2009. It was on the internet for the whole world to see which was a good thing. Her next entry was about the killings. Her school was eventually shut down. Malala was very sad but her father said she would still do school at her house. The school reopened four days later. Her father wanted her to improve on her English so she watched a DVD of journalists and a TV program called Ugly Betty. The government imposed a peace deal with the Taliban but it was not working. In October 2011 Malala was nominated for the International Peace Prize Of Kids Rights. In 2012 she got a death threat from the Taliban. One of her father’s close friend was shot, but he lived. One day coming home from school on the bus they turned off the main road at the army checkpoint as usual. The bus slowed to a halt and Malala didn’t remember anything after that. She was shot. The author’s message in this book is that it is important to stand up for what you believe in. Malala’s father was told to close down the school, but he didn’t and he also spoke out against the Taliban. Malala talked on national and local TV, radio broadcasts, and newspapers to speak up for girls education. Malala also did interviews and she was nominated for the International Peace Prize Of Kids Rights. I give this book four stars because, it is great read. It is very interesting and it’s a book you don’t want to put down. I Am Malala is an inspiring book, because she stood up and spoke up for girls rights and education. I would recommend this book to others who like non-fiction, reality, informational stories, and biographies. I think this book is appropriate for ages 12 and up.

This is a great book to help privileged kids recognize their privilege and the responsibility that comes with it that privilege.

As soon as I got this in the mail I started reading it and I couldn't put the book down. It is such a good read.

My daughter loved this book, and was inspired by this author's story. The book also was well packaged and pristine.

Molto interessante e coinvolgente. Malala racconta la sua vita con semplicità , ma in modo molto realistico. Una grande bimba ,una grande ragazza, sicuramente una donna che avrà compiti importanti e significativi nel suo futuro. Consiglio questa lettura ai giovani che non amano la scuola

Muito bom

As expected

Great book. We used this as part of our literature lesson as a homeschooling family.

An amazing book that highlights the ability and conviction of humans to stay the course in such dangerous, frustrating and frightening circumstances.