Mary Damayo
Mrs. Blumenthal
English 2 Honors
3 January 2014
I Am Malala Malala Yousafzai, along with Christina Lamb, composes an autobiography that illustrates Malala’s tale in a dangerous country, while also displaying her passionate dedication to making the world a better and equal place. This nonfiction piece of writing was published on October 8th, 2013 by Little, Brown and Company. It has since received the Goodreads Choice Awards Best Memoir & Autobiography for the great achievement of recollecting Malala’s brave endeavors. In I Am Malala, she begins with recounting her younger years in which her demand for equal women’s rights had stemmed from, and afterwards, how she grew into an independent, young woman who spoke for millions of females in her country that could not receive education. In the beginning of I Am Malala, Malala describes her home as “the most beautiful place in all the world. My valley, the Swat Valley, is a heavenly kingdom of mountains, gushing waterfalls and crystal-clear lakes” (15). She also spoke about everything that she had loved and was proud about in her home: from her admirable father who, unlike most Pashtuns, rejoiced upon receiving a daughter in a country that honors sons, to her best friend Moniba, with whom she had laughed and confided in, and Malka-e-Noor, her rival for top of the class at Kahshul School. Her name derives from Malalai of Maiwand, “the greatest heroine of Afghanistan”, who “inspired the Afghan army to defeat the British in 1880 in one of the biggest battles of the Second Anglo-Afghan War” (14). Malala’s father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, had foreseen that his daughter would become a strong, young woman from the day she was born. But, he had not expected her to become the voice of millions of women across her country to fight for the right of education and equal opportunity. Malala, who is now currently sixteen, is a vocal spokesperson for girls to have the same, equal rights such as boys toward education. In her native homeland, Malala lost the privilege of going to school when the Taliban invaded: “I was 10 when the Taliban came to our valley… It seemed to us that the Taliban arrived in the night just like vampires. They appeared in groups, armed with knives and Kalashnikovs… They looked so dark and dirty and that my father's friend described them as 'people deprived of baths and barbers” (111). The Taliban began to bomb schools, and soon declared that females would no longer receive education. Malala's father was the owner and principal of her school, and inspired his daughter to speak against the injustice: “I will protect your freedom, Malala. Carry on with your dreams” (68). She had only been fifteen in that time, but threats began to surface against her and her family.
On October 9th, 2012, Malala was on her way home from school when her school bus was stopped, and a man boarded the bus and ordered to know who was Malala. When several of her classmates looked toward Malala, her location was quickly given away. The gunman shot Malala in the head, and had wounded two other students who were in his way. Afterwards, Malala was immediately taken to a local hospital but soon got worse and worse, so she was then transported to a military hospital, and out of the country shortly after. Her final transfer was to a hospital in Birmingham, England where she had spent countless months in recovery and reconstruction. Malala had received international support, and had gotten the opportunity to be visited by many important people at such a young age. Her devotion drew awareness to her cause all around the world, and thousands of people wrote letters and sent out gifts in support of her campaign. The Yousafzai family remained in England even after Malala’s recovery. Although they had wanted nothing more than to go back home to Swat Valley, the family had stayed for Malala’s safety. She delivered a mass of speeches to the United Nations and other worldwide associations to promote women's right to an education. Even after Malala’s traumatic accident, she has remained who she is and continues to stand behind her belief: “I love my God. I thank my Allah. I talk to him all day. He is the greatest. By giving me this height to reach people, he has also given me responsibilities. Peace in every home, every street, every village, every country - this is my dream. Education for every boy and every girl in the world. To sit down on a chair and read my books with all my friends at school is my right. To see each and every human being with a smile of happiness is my wish” (313).
When it came to Malala’s horrible attack and everything that had occurred afterwards, I was completely engrossed by the book, and reading each chapter rapidly. The entire story held so much emotion, and getting a chance to know what the Yousafzai family went through was extremely sorrowful: the agony of Malala’s parents when she was shot , and the part about Malala’s family thinking they would never see their daughter again once she was taken away. Malala’s survival was an absolute miracle, and many believed she was spared, to continue to act upon her belief of education for all. She is a great inspiration to everyone by standing up for what she believed in, and speaking out against the unjust and the injustice.
The assassination of Malala Yousafzai had been a tactical fail, and instead of silencing her dream, her campaign was amplified all over the world. She has received an abundance of praise from various celebrities, and has remained completely humble to her part. “I am Malala. My world has changed but I have not” (313). Malala’s movement to educate not only young Pakistani girls, but any person denied education, is deliberately gaining public attention. While progress has gratefully been accomplished, the road to educating all is still never-ending. Malala should be extremely proud of her achievements and battles that she had to face, because she is truly an amazing role model who stood up for something so big at such a young age.
I would definitely recommend this book to people of all ages. It reminds first world countries about the privilege of education and its reason for being so heavily important. People who are particularly interested in history, women’s rights, and inspirational documentaries should absolutely read this novel. I was completely shocked to find out how easily your rights could be taken away in other countries, and how often women were treated as second class citizens in comparison to men. I Am Malala leaves you with certain thoughts and feelings, that I believe everyone should experience and ponder about.