I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up For Education and Was Shot By The Taliban by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb: A Book Review
I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up For Education and Was Shot By The TalibanAuthor: Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb
Genre: Nonfiction, Autobiography & Memoir, Modern History
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Release Date: October 8th, 2013
Pages: 352
Source: My State Public Library
Synopsis: “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 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.
My Review: Malala came to worldwide media attention when she was 11 by writing a BBC Urdu blog under the name Gul Makai about her life under the Taliban rule. She made even more global attention when she was shot in the head by the Taliban for speaking up for girl’s education. Because of her heroic deed, she became the youngest to ever be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. In her memoir, with the help of her ghostwriter, Christina Lamb, Malala speaks with a passionate and active voice about the right of education for both boys and girls. With a fiery spirit, Malala greatly instills change and to be the voice for the voiceless.
The story begins on October 9, 2012, the day Malala is shot. Her attacker sneaks onto the back of Malala’s school bus with a Colt .45 in his hand. He asked everyone on the bus a question, “Who is Malala?” Everyone turns to look at Malala, and he fires three bullets at her, one of them at her head. Malala didn’t have the chance to say anything to her attacker. She is critically injured, but survived the attempt on her life. Her story then jumps to her life in the Swat Valley of Pakistan, where she recounts the deeds of the Taliban and the cruel nature in which girls are treated there.
In Malala’s memoir, she describes the beauty of her homeland, and the customs and hospitality of her people. She also describes the love, support, and encouragement her parents gives her to help give her courage in the face of great adversity as she speaks’ for women’s education. She also talks about the politics and history of Pakistan. She tells us about the establishment of the Taliban, how they came into her valley unnoticed, and her life under the Taliban. She describes that time as a time of fear. Yet even though there was fear and terror under the oppression of the Taliban, Malala felt bravery and courage to speak up. In a time when she felt the hatred of man, she also experienced God’s limitless love for her and her people.
Overall, I felt this book to be one of the most important book I have read. It is thought-provoking, and it makes us realize the privileges and freedom we have in the United States. Malala encourages us readers to speak up and to be a voice for those who do not. Malala proves that anyone no matter how young or small can make a difference to their community, their country, and ultimately their world. I recommend this book to anyone. Read it, and you will never again forget to appreciate the blessings of literacy and freedom we have.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
This is an interview of Malala with Diane Sawyer as she talks about her book:
This is such a profound book that the author Christina Lamb has depicted the life of Malala in a elegant way. The history of Pakistan under various regimes and the evolution of Taliban in Swat Valley (of Pakistan) are cleanly told. Her agony are clearly stated and even though she had become a celebrity, her childish fights with her friends and her inner thoughts are also mentioned. After reading, as an Indian I felt that eventhogh has lent hands to many patients in health, she didn't even mention India to be good nation. We could see her rage of India as an enemy nation. God only knows whether the information in this book is right or wrong.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about what she makes about India. I felt that she was describing the tension with India as a history lesson. However she did make some good points about India. She thought it was a beautiful country, and she visited India and loved her trip there. I would not really consider this book to be either right or wrong. It is a memoir, and she is telling us her personal experiences and opinions. In this memoir, I found that she is not perfect, but she also has flaws, which makes her human. When I read the fights with her friends, it made me realize that Malala is still a teenage girl. She still growing and her mind will constantly change. So, maybe her thoughts too of India and other countries will also change.
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