Print Review: I Am Malala

"We have a saying, "Without honour, the world counts for nothing." We fight and feud among ourselves so much that our word for cousin -tarbur- is the same as our word for enemy. But we always come together against outsiders who try to conquer our lands." ~Malala Yousafzai 

Malala Yousafzai

   Malala Yousafzai was fifteen when an armed Taliban soldier stopped and invaded their school bus, on its way to an all girls' school. Even though when the soldier exclaimed, "who is Malala?" and none of the girls on the bus answered, she was tragically shot through her left eye socket. Thankfully, she is alive today, and amazingly won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.

   The extended title, "I am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban," is a summary itself. Yet, it doesn't truly capture the essence of this book. It begins with a short few chapters on her birth, (the birth of a girl wasn't celebrated like the birth of a boy would be,) and on her being influenced by her father to stand up for girls' rights, as he had created a school. It then goes on to talk about how the Taliban took over the Swat Valley in Pakistan. It then goes into more depth about the shooting, and finally, her life afterwards, up until the publishing of the book. 

   One of the many things I loved about this book is that you learn about Pakistani history and culture while reading. I have recently had an urge to read and learn more about the planet we live on and all of its different people and cultures, as I one day hope to see as much of it as I can. I also liked that this book is so inspiring; it shows how one person, especially so young, can make such an impact on the world, and encouraging change to happen. 

   In conclusion, I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. It makes you really think and appreciate what you have. By the end of this book, I was ready to leap out of bed and make my mark on the world by impacting human rights. 

9/10

★★★★✬