I Am Malala
by Malala Yousafzai & Christina Lamb
Summary Hook
Malala is a girl who lives in Swat, Pakistan, a place once peaceful, now overtaken by the Taliban, an Islamist group that wants to force traditional (sharia) law in Pakistan. Malala believes that she and other girls should be able to get an education, but the Taliban thinks otherwise. When Malala speaks out against the Taliban, she learns the true cost of education, and this is her story.
My Daughter, Malala | Ziauddin Yousafzai | TED Talks
In this TED Talk, Malala's father, Ziauddin, speaks about his daughter's life, which Malala talks about in her book.
Pakistani Girls' School
One of the main things Malala advocates for is the education of girls and women in Pakistan.
The Taliban
The Taliban wanted to prevent women from getting an education.
Swat, Pakistan
This is where Malala lived in her childhood, and where the majority of the book takes place.
Symbols and Quotes
A concept that is explored in I Am Malala is freedom. A symbol that could represent freedom is a bird, which comes directly from the text. An example of freedom in the text is when Malala's father says, "Malala will be as free as a bird" (Yousafzai 26). Another example is when Malala says, "How can they stop us from going to school?...They are saying they will destroy the mountain, but they can't even control the road" (Yousafzai 146). The first quote shows that Malala's father thinks that she will be a "free" person because of all of her potential, and the second quote shows how Malala feels that they are free to go to school and that their endeavors for education will overpower the Taliban's threat to blow up their school. These are two contrasting instances of freedom, as one is about an individual and one is about a group of people and a building.
Another concept that is explored is love. A symbol that could represent is a heart. An example of love in the text is when Malala's father's friend says that, "Ziauddin was a family man and [he and his wife] were unusually close...while most of us can't live with our wives, he couldn't be without his" (Yousafzai 53). Another example is after Malala gets shot by a member of the Taliban, Malala retrospectively says, "Seeing me [shot] was the worst thing that had ever happened to him. All children are special to their parents, but to my father I was his universe" (Yousafzai 246). These two quotes show specifically that Malala's father loved his family profusely, which is important to both Malala's and her mother's lives.
Rating
I would rate this book 4/5 stars. It was one of the first nonfiction books that I have read on my own that has actually captivated me. I stray away from nonfiction usually and prefer to read fiction, just because I feel like since I'm living in the real world all the time, there's really no point in reading nonfiction. I think that this book was different because it described a completely different life from the one that I live, and it was very interesting to see that. I don't think it is a 5/5, however, because I think that when Malala was describing her country's history, it got boring, but overall, I enjoyed the book.
List of Characters
- Malala Yousafzai - She is both the main character and author of the book. She had a happy childhood where she was not treated like a normal girl in Pakistan and got an education. Additionally, she advocated for girls' education. This made the Taliban consider both herself and her family a threat to sharia law.
- Moniba - Malala's best friend when she lived in the city who was very smart.
- Ziauddin Yousafzai - Malala's father who is also very supportive of Malala's efforts for girls' education, but he is also very supportive of her in general. He often treats her like a boy, which is an honor in their culture.
- To Pekai Yousafzai - Malala's mother who supports Malala to take a stand for girls' education. Although she is not a major character in the book, she loves her husband very much and her husband loves her very much as well.
About the Author
Because this book is an autobiography, I'm not going to talk about Malala here, but I'm going to talk about her fund, the Malala Fund, which "works in regions where the most girls miss out on secondary education." You can help by starting a fundraiser, signing up for the newsletter, donating money, or hosting a screening of her documentary film, HE NAMED ME MALALA. You can visit her website: https://www.malala.org/