I Am Malala book review

I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb
on 8th October 2013
Genres: Nonfiction
Pages: 327
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I come from a country that was created at midnight. When I almost died it was just after midday.

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 has become a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

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.

Overview of I Am Malala

Who should read this book:

• If you are at all interested in the situation in Pakistan
• You want to know more about Malala’s journey and what she actually went through prior to be shot.
• Enjoy biographies.
• If you want to be truly inspired

Who shouldn’t read this:

• If you don’t like a biographies.
• You have no interest in the Taliban or the situation in Afghanistan.
• Basically if you have no interest in reading about a young girl living in Pakistan

I Am Malala is the perfect book, if you have any interest in Malala’s journey. After reading various news articles and watching interviews both about her and from her I was hooked. I was so inspired by her journey and the way she held herself. It made me want to know more.

I picked her book up in my local store and dove straight in. The first thing about this book is that you learn so much. It’s utterly incredible that that is so much information entwined with an astounding story. We learn from a first hand point of view about what life was like under the Taliban and the way that they infiltrated the lives of Swat Valley and began to take over the politics of the country and the people.

For me, I’m surrounded by western media constantly and as most people have realised the media plays out in a way that makes the big corporations the big money. You never know what’s real and what isn’t. For me this book was a refreshing change from that. I’m not entirely naive to think that there isn’t an ulterior motive but the point of view seemed to be honest. It was chilling to hear Taliban attacks coming from the mouth of a child. Her description of being shot in the face. The effect was astronomical.

You never know how important something is until it’s taken away was an idea that stuck with me throughout. If someone stopped me from going to school, I think my opinion would have changed. It’s the same thinking that we’ll never understand the lengths Malala went too because we have never been put in that position.

I Am Malala was one of the most inspiring I have ever read and I definitely recommend it to everyone. It’s an eye opening journey and one that you won’t regret going on!

Have you ever read a inspiring autobiography that you think I would enjoy? Let me know in the comments!