When the Taliban took over the Swat Valley in Pakistan, a girl refused to be silenced. All she wanted to do was to fight for her right to an education. In 2013, she paid the price for her bravery and was shot in the head by a member of a Taliban armed with a pistol. Her future was not promising and nobody expected her to survive. Over time and through countless support globally, she recovered from her injuries, and instead of letting the events silence her, it made her even more motivated. You might be familiar with her through her powerful speech when she took her cause to the halls of the United Nations and when she spoke with powerful leaders around the world. Until today, she continues her efforts to fight for the right for all people to get an education.
I Am Malala is the story of this heroic girl, and what a story indeed.
Since I've known about her story before, I knew I was going to appreciate this book. However, there was so much more that I did not know about her. While reading, I found myself not able to put the book down, and in just a few hours, I finished it. From the moment I read the first page, I was immediately captured by Malala's voice. She sounded so relatable to me, as if she was just a friend talking to me about her daily life. But she's not an ordinary person, not like anyone at all. She is Malala, and her story is anything but ordinary.
Another huge thing for me was how this book opened my eyes. As a person residing in the U.S., we hear about all the things happening abroad through the news and the press coverage. We are informed that way, but there's so much more that we do not know about. It was a shock to me in a way, and it was extremely moving to see it from the point of view of a teenager who actually lived there and has seen it all. Admittedly, I found myself in tears while reading some parts, because it really made me realize how much we take things for granted: being able to walk outside freely without fear, being able to wear whatever we want, read whatever we want, and more. The fact that this is just one story makes me feel sick to think about all the other stories left untold.
If there's anything else that my review can do for you, I hope it's to encourage you to get the book and read it too. It's Malala's story, but it's also more than that. It's a story of her country, her culture, and her family. Of her relationship with her father. It's a story that shows courage, resilience, and strength. It is inspiring and motivating, and it deserves to be read just like Malala deserves to be heard all around the world.
