I Am Malala - Book Review

It has been a while since I actually started reading "I am Malala". Work caught up with my reading mid-way. And finally, after a few weekends of dedicated reading, I managed to complete the book.

Needless to say, Malala's story is inspiring.

I hope you are not wondering, "Malala Who?". For those of you who are not connected, Malala Yousafzai is the joint winner of the Nobel Peace Prize 2015. All of 17, she is the youngest winner of the award.

Malala came to be known across the world when she was shot by the Taliban in her native Swat valley in Pakistan, for speaking up in favor of education of girls. After some initial important treatment in Pakistan, she was air lifted to the UK, where she made her amazing recovery. At the tender age of 16, she made a speech at the UN General Assembly and later won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.

I am Malala

The book, written in first person by Malala, along with Christina Lamb charts her life from the day she was born. She speaks about her father and mother living in difficult conditions, and raising three children, she and her two brothers, with the highest morals.

She talks about her simple life, a far distance from the privileges of the western world. She talks about the pristine Swat Valley, a place otherwise known as a terrorist hot bed for people outside Pakistan. She talks about her girly adventures with the pals, and her playful days with her brothers. She talks about her love for Bollywood.

Importantly, she narrates her and her father's endeavor to promote and sustain the education of girl children in Pakistan. She talks about the three schools run by her father in Swat, including a school for girls. She talks about life under Taliban, and life as an displaced citizen due to the Talibanisation of her city.

With the Taliban raising its ugly head in Pakistan after the 9/11 attacks, girls were prompted to stop going to school. Yet, her father continued to run these schools with fierce determination. Both he and Malala spoke to lengths about the importance of schooling for girl children. This mission earned her the Pakistan's first National Youth Peace Prize. 

She also wrote an anonymous blog on BBC, speaking about life under Taliban. All these aspects are well covered in the book.

Her determination invited the Taliban's wrath, leading to the monstrous attack on her. She survived, got well, and earned multiple awards for her bravery.

The book is an inspiring account of her life. Although a bit slow to start with, the book is more than the story of the attack on her life . The book may have a grammatical mistakes, but I would suggest you turn a blind eye to them. The book offers much more. The book is about her life, her simplicity, her bravery, her fear and her determination. 

It's a must read for anyone who loves stories about life.

P.S. At the fag end of the book, she writes :- "Malala, I don't understand why you are famous. What have you done?"

P.S.2. 10 people responsible for attacking her were sentences to life imprisonment a few days back.