Nouhad’s Pick:
July 2014
I am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban
Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb, Published October 8, 2013
Starting with the ‘Prologue: The Day My World Changed’ Malala states, “I come from a country that was created at midnight, when I almost died it was just after midday”. Reading that, my imagination and curiosity had me hooked. What does this thirteen year old wants us to envision and learn. We have read about her in the news that she was shot in the face while riding the school bus and miraculously survived.
Aside from the saga of her bravery and recovery, Malala talks about her culture, her faith, politics and history of the Taliban. Malala also shows us family life, its joys and struggles in a remote village in Swat Valley, Pakistan, once a home to Buddhist kings. She tells us about her father’s quest for equal education for girls. As her story moves, one learns about customs and taboos while children grow-up, go to school and play.
Gain some prospective of that mysterious Middle Eastern World, its religion, culture and some history. The story is about one girl’s bravery, breaking social taboos to fight illiteracy to gain equal education for girls. I found it to be a very special read.