A Review of 'I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up For Education and was Shot by the Taliban' by Malala Yousafzai

"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."

It's silly, but before reading this book, I had no idea who Malala was.  I'd never heard of her in the news or on Facebook until recently.  It's silly to me because according to this book, the rest of the world has heard of her.  Enough to encourage her to make speeches in front of Prime Ministers, activists of many kinds, and even more prominent people in higher positions of power.

Reading about the work that Malala did (and continuess to do, is my understanding) is impressive.  Her work is even more impressive when you realize how young she is.  This book was published in 2013.  It ends when she's sixteen-years-old, so she's seventeen or eighteen by now.  She's a women's and girl's rights activist in Pakistan, which is probably one of the more dangerous things you can be in the world today.

It made me really upset to realize just how important it is to other people for girls to go without an education.  And for what reason?  I couldn't find a good reason.  And neither can Malala.  I can't stand the people who think that it's okay to think that women are only good for making babies.  The rest of the time they're in the home keeping out of sight.  Women are worth so much more than their wombs.  We're worth so much more than our outward appearances.  We have brains, we have hands, we have hearts, we have big voices.  Men have those things too.  Why shouldn't we be allowed to use these things the same way that men do?

Malala's story made me angry, but it also made me hopeful.  This world is really messed up in a lot of ways.  But the important thing is there are people who realize this and use their assets to make this world a better place to live in.  Malala is one of those people.

Overall, this was an inspiring story and it has an even greater impact when you realize that her story is factual.

I give 'I Am Malala':

Thanks for Reading!

--Jude