i am malala book review

I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban

Malala yousafzai , christina lamb  ( primary contributor ).

327 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2012

About the author

Malala Yousafzai

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We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced.

Education is education. We should learn everything and then choose which path to follow." Education is neither Eastern nor Western, it is human.

One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.

When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.

We were scared, but our fear was not as strong as our courage.

If one man can destroy everything, why can't one girl change it?

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Opinion Book review: ‘I Am Malala’ by Malala Yousafzai

Marie Arana is the author of the memoir "American Chica" and the biography "Bolivar: American Liberator." She was also a scriptwriter for the recently released film about education in the Third World, "Girl Rising."

Ask social scientists how to end global poverty, and they will tell you: Educate girls. Capture them in that fleeting window between the ages of 10 and 14, give them an education, and watch a community change: Per capita income goes up, infant mortality goes down, the rate of economic growth increases, the rate of HIV/AIDS infection falls. Child marriage becomes less common, as does child labor. Educated mothers tend to educate their children. They tend to be more frugal with family money. Last year, the World Bank reckoned that Kenya’s illiterate girls, if educated, could boost that country’s economy by $27 billion in the course of a lifetime.

Whether an emerging nation likes it or not, its girls are its greatest resource. Educating them, as economist Lawrence Summers once said, “may be the single highest-return investment available in the developing world.”

Nowhere is that lesson more evident than in the story of Malala Yousafzai, a Pashtun girl from Pakistan's Swat Valley who was born of an illiterate mother, grew up in her father's school, read Stephen Hawking's "A Brief History of Time" by age 11 and has a gift for stirring oratory.

And nowhere did that lesson go more rebuffed than in the verdant Swat Valley, where hard-line jihadists swept out of the mountains, terrorized villages and radicalized boys, and where — one muggy day last October — a Taliban fighter leapt onto a school bus, shouted, “Who is Malala?” and shot her point-blank in the head for speaking out about her God-given right to attend school.

Malala tells of that life-shattering moment in a riveting memoir, "I Am Malala," published this past week even as she was being cited as a possible candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize. Co-written with Christina Lamb, a veteran British journalist who has an evident passion for Pakistan and can render its complicated history with pristine clarity, this is a book that should be read not only for its vivid drama but for its urgent message about the untapped power of girls.

The story begins with Malala’s father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, the son of an imam (a preacher of Islam), who was instilled from boyhood with a deep love of learning, an unwavering sense of justice and a commitment to speak out in defense of both. Like Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, Ziauddin was convinced that aside from the sword and the pen, there is an even greater power — that of women — and so, when his firstborn turned out to be a bright, inquisitive daughter, he raised her with all the attention he lavished on his sons.

Ziauddin’s greatest ambition, which he achieved as a relatively young teacher, was to establish a school where children could be raised with a keen sense of their human potential. As a Pashtun, he came from a tribe that had migrated from Kabul and settled on the lush but war-weary frontier that separates Pakistan from Afghanistan; as a Yousafzai, he was the proud inheritor of a rich legacy that could be traced to the Timurid court of the 16th century. But he was also a poor man with high ambitions and not a cent to his name.

Malala was born in 1997, as her father was struggling to found his school against a sea of troubles: a deeply corrupt government official to whom he refused to pay bribes; a mufti who lived across the way and objected to the education of girls, a practice he denounced as haram, or offensive to Islam; and the vicissitudes of a fierce jihad, visited upon them from time to time in Taliban raids that evolved from harsh rhetoric to outright killings. By the time Malala was 10 and the top student in her father’s surprisingly flourishing school, radical Talibs had penetrated the valley all the way to the capital of Islamabad and were beheading Pakistani police, holding their severed heads high on the roadsides.

“Moniba and I had been reading the Twilight books,” Malala recounts, and “it seemed to us that the Taliban arrived in the night just like vampires. They appeared in groups, armed with knives and Kalashnikovs. . . . These were strange-looking men with long straggly hair and beards and camouflage vests over their shalwar kamiz, which they wore with the trousers well above the ankle. They had jogging shoes or cheap plastic sandals on their feet, and sometimes stockings over their heads with holes for their eyes, and they blew their noses dirtily into the ends of their turbans.”

That was when the school bombings began and Maulana Fazlullah, a young extremist who had once operated the pulleys at a river crossing, became known as the Radio Mullah, a direct arm of the Taliban, installing a systematic rule of terror over the Swat Valley. Fazlullah announced the closing of girls’ schools; he lauded the killing of a female dancer; his goons killed a teacher for refusing to pull his trousers above the ankle the way the Taliban members wore theirs. “Nowhere in Islam is this required,” the teacher had cried out in his defense.

“They hanged him,” Malala relates dryly, “and then they shot his father.”

But for all the terror around them, Malala and her family were hardly cowed into submission. Ziauddin continued to rail at his country's Talibanization in government offices, to the army, to anyone who would listen, gaining a name throughout Swat for his rectitude and courage. And although Malala learned to go to school with her books hidden under her shawl, she continued to study and excel, eventually giving public speeches on behalf of education that her father would help write. By 12, even as she pored over "Anna Karenina" and the novels of Jane Austen, she was writing a BBC blog about her experiences under the pen name Gul Makai.

When, in 2009, the family was forced to abandon the increasingly violent border area in “the biggest exodus in Pashtun history,” the Yousafzais made their way to Peshawar, where Malala did radio interviews, met Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, turned 13 and continued to speak out for girls’ education. Passing through Abbottabad as they made their escape, the family could not have imagined that Osama bin Laden himself had found refuge there. Finally winding their way home, they discovered that their beloved school — in a metaphor for their own defiance — had become a holdout against the Taliban for the Pakistani army.

We know how this story ends, with a 15-year-old child taking a bullet for a whole generation. It is difficult to imagine a chronicle of a war more moving, apart from perhaps the diary of Anne Frank . With the essential difference that we lost that girl, and by some miracle, we still have this one. Disfigured beyond recognition by her assailant's gun, Malala was rushed to Peshawar, then Rawalpindi and finally to Birmingham, England, where doctors reconstructed her damaged skull and knit back the shattered face. But her smile would never be quite the same.

Resolute, Malala has never hidden that face — not when the Taliban insisted on it, and not when she emerged from her battle for survival to stand before the members of the United Nations in July and deliver her message yet again, a little louder.

“There is good news coming from the U.K.,” the head of military operations in Swat had told Malala’s desperate parents as they awaited word of their child’s condition. “We are very happy our daughter has survived.”

“Our,” Malala points out, because she had become the daughter of a nation.

But she is ours, too, because she stands for the universal possibility of a little girl.

I AM MALALA

The Girl Who Stood Up for Education

and Was Shot by the Taliban

By Malala Yousafzai with Christina Lamb

Little, Brown. 327 pp. $26

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The activist and co-author of “I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World” relished “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” the first book she read in the hospital when recovering from an attack by the Taliban. New York Times correspondent Jodi Kantor will continue the conversation with Malala Yousafzai at a Times Talk this evening; click here to watch it live or afterwards.

What book are you reading right now?

I’ve been reading “Of Mice and Men,” by John Steinbeck, which is on the school curriculum. It’s a short book, but it is filled with so much. It really reflects the situation of 1930s America. I was fascinated to learn how women were treated at the time, and what life was like for poor itinerant workers. Books can capture injustices in a way that stays with you and makes you want to do something about them. That’s why they are so powerful.

What’s the last truly great book you read? 

“The Alchemist,” by Paulo Coelho. I like it because it is hopeful and inspiring. It tells the story of a boy who embarks on a journey to find a treasure, but as he goes along, he learns from every part of his journey and every person he meets. In the end, he finds his treasure in a very interesting place. His story tells you that you should believe in yourself and continue your journey.  

Who are your favorite contemporary writers?

Deborah Ellis (author of “Parvana’s Journey”) and Khaled Hosseini (“The Kite Runner”). Both tell stories about young characters in difficult circumstances, having to make hard choices and having to find strength. They accurately depict war-torn regions. I like writers who can show me worlds I know nothing about, but my favorites are those who create characters or worlds which feel realistic and familiar to me, or who can make me feel inspired. I discovered Deborah Ellis’s books in the school library after my head teacher encouraged me to go beyond the school curriculum and look for books I might enjoy. This wasn’t long after I arrived in Britain, and I was missing my friends terribly. Reading about Afghanistan made me feel like being back at home. This is the power of books. They can take you to places which are beyond reach.

And your favorite writers of all time? 

Paulo Coelho. 

What books would you recommend for young people hoping to understand the plight of girls and women in Pakistan today?

“Mud City,” part of the “Parvana’s Journey” series by Deborah Ellis. I was gripped by this series and couldn’t drag myself away from it. Ellis beautifully captures childhood in war-torn Afghanistan and Pakistan. The stories are very moving. 

Is there one book you wish all girls would read? One all students would read?

All girls: “The Breadwinner,” by Deborah Ellis. The book tells the story of a young girl who takes on the challenge of saving her family. I think it’s important for girls everywhere to learn how women are treated in some societies. But even though Parvana is treated as lesser than boys and men, she never feels that way. She believes in herself and is stronger to fight against hunger, fear and war. Girls like her are an inspiration. “The Breadwinner” reminds us how courageous and strong women are around the world.  

All students should read “The Kite Runner.” It shows you should not judge other people by external things. And it shows loyalty and friendship. 

Were there particular books that helped you get through the recovery process after the attack on you by the Taliban?

“The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” was the first book I read in the hospital. I had been having headaches and couldn’t read or focus properly for a while. It is a lovely book, and it was given to me by Gordon Brown — he sent me 25 books, and this was my favorite. 

Which books might we be surprised to find on your bookshelves? 

“A Brief History of Time,” by Stephen Hawking. I read it during a period when life in Swat was very hard. I distracted myself from the fear and terrorism by thinking about things like how the universe began and whether time travel is possible. I enjoy science, and I’m a very curious person. I always want to know the reason behind everything, big or small. 

What was the last book to make you laugh?

“The Little Prince.” It is a very clever book, and in the beginning it’s extremely funny.

The last book that made you cry?

I never cry reading a book. 

The last book that made you furious?

Mine! The editing was really hard. Especially because we wanted to get everything right in a very short period of time. The workdays were very long, but it was worth it in the end. 

What are your childhood memories of books and reading?

One of the first books I read is called “Meena,” about a girl who stood up for women’s rights and education in Afghanistan. I also read a biography about Martin Luther King Jr., written for children.

But I didn’t read a lot of books when I was young. In our country, many children don’t attend school or learn how to read. Those who do usually read only textbooks. In our classes, we focused more on history, science and mathematics than literature. Many people couldn’t afford books. Most books were secondhand, used by many children before. In Pakistan even schools own very few books. I was lucky to have a father who valued education and thought it was important that I knew how to read. I read eight or nine books in Swat, and I was considered to be a bookish girl! Here [in Birmingham, England] girls have read hundreds of books. 

One of the most memorable moments in my life was when I was asked to open the Library of Birmingham, Europe’s largest new library. I had never seen so many books and all of them freely available to members of the public. If only children in Pakistan had such easy access to books! People of Birmingham are very lucky to have such a wonderful library.

If you could require the American president to read one book, what would it be? 

I would like to suggest him to read many books. He should read “The Kite Runner,” too. And “The Little Prince.” Or maybe “The Alchemist,” if he would like to get away from his real world into the imaginary world of “The Alchemist.” 

If you could require the prime minister of Pakistan to read one book, what would it be?

I would suggest him to read “Meena, Heroine of Afghanistan: The Martyr Who Founded RAWA, the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan” and “A Thousand Splendid Suns.” 

What’s the best book you’ve ever read?

“The Alchemist.”

And the worst?

I think it would be disrespectful to say that, but I did read a book recently which I thought was the worst.

What was the last book you put down without finishing? 

Someone gave me a book to help me in improving my English. I read a few pages, and I didn’t really like that book and decided not to read it, as it had no suspense. A book should have suspense and grab you right from the beginning. 

What are you planning to read next?

“An Inspector Calls.” It’s actually a play that I saw and enjoyed. It is part of the English syllabus, and I want to read it as well.

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Book Review: I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai 

By Yasi Agah Posted on 1.3.21

When you were 15 years old, what were you doing? You were probably going to school, doing homework, playing sports or involved in a club, hanging out with your friends or reading books on weekends. Malala had a very different life when she was fifteen. Malala Yousafzai grew up in Swat Valley in Pakistan where it was illegal for women to go to school. Yousafzai wanted to get an education more than anything and so did her family, especially her father. Her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, was one of the biggest advocates of women’s education in Swat Valley and encouraged her to go to school.

Malala and her father were activists about women’s education in Pakistan, but there was a group that was not as supportive. The Tehrik-i-Taliban was a terrorist group in Pakistan that wanted all women to stay at home. Although they tried to intimidate Malala and her family for their outspoken activities, they did not back down. This led to the event that changed Malala’s life and made her a leader in women’s education around the world . When she was 15 years old, Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by the Taliban and survived. The bullet hit her left eye and went through her shoulder. Although she was injured, she lived to tell the tale. I Am Malala tells the tales of Malala’s upbringing, fight against the Taliban, how she survived her assassination attempt and how she is advocating for women’s education today.

Malala is the definition of, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going” to an extreme degree. After her miraculous recovery, she avidly continued her activism. She was the youngest person to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, at the age of sixteen, and now is an advocate for women’s education. This book will leave you utterly inspired at how resilient the human spirit is and how Malala’s courage ultimately saved her life.

This book is perfect for anyone who has ever felt like they didn’t have the ability to create change – because you do . No matter what scenario you are in, you have the ability to make an impact. Even if it’s something small, you can create a ripple effect when you take a step in the right direction. Malala’s journey has led to worldwide activism towards improving and increasing women’s education in developing countries. Although her journey probably didn’t turn out the way that she thought it would, she has changed the world. All it takes is one small step – what’s yours?

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I AM MALALA

How one girl stood up for education and changed the world (young readers edition).

by Malala Yousafzai with Patricia McCormick ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 19, 2014

Though Yousafzai’s memoir never transcends her story, that story is a powerful and inspiring one; supplemented by...

Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teen shot for her activism for girls’ education, tells her story for a middle-grade audience.

Although billed as a “young readers edition” of Yousafzai’s 2013 book of the same name for adults, co-written with Christina Lamb, the designation does the book a disservice, as this is no simple redaction. With the capable assistance of co-author McCormick, the account has been effectively rewritten specifically for children. The story is straightforward, related chronologically and covering Yousafzai’s growth in activism, her shooting and her recovery in England. Yousafzai’s voice is appealingly youthful, though it often tells rather than shows and frequently goes over the top: In her school, she writes, “we flew on wings of knowledge.” Still, young Western readers will come to understand the gulf that separates them from Yousafzai through carefully chosen anecdotes, helping them see what drives her to such lyrical extremes. Unfortunately, much is lost in the translation from the adult book, presumably sacrificed for brevity and directness; most lamentable is social and political context. Although readers will come away with a good understanding of Yousafzai’s immediate experiences, the geopolitical forces that shape her culture go largely unmentioned except in a closing timeline that amounts to a dizzying list of regime changes.

Pub Date: Aug. 19, 2014

ISBN: 978-0-316-32793-0

Page Count: 240

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: Aug. 18, 2014

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A breezy, bustling bucketful of courageous acts and eye-popping feats.

Why should grown-ups get all the historical, scientific, athletic, cinematic, and artistic glory?

Choosing exemplars from both past and present, Mitchell includes but goes well beyond Alexander the Great, Anne Frank, and like usual suspects to introduce a host of lesser-known luminaries. These include Shapur II, who was formally crowned king of Persia before he was born, Indian dancer/professional architect Sheila Sri Prakash, transgender spokesperson Jazz Jennings, inventor Param Jaggi, and an international host of other teen or preteen activists and prodigies. The individual portraits range from one paragraph to several pages in length, and they are interspersed with group tributes to, for instance, the Nazi-resisting “Swingkinder,” the striking New York City newsboys, and the marchers of the Birmingham Children’s Crusade. Mitchell even offers would-be villains a role model in Elagabalus, “boy emperor of Rome,” though she notes that he, at least, came to an awful end: “Then, then! They dumped his remains in the Tiber River, to be nommed by fish for all eternity.” The entries are arranged in no evident order, and though the backmatter includes multiple booklists, a personality quiz, a glossary, and even a quick Braille primer (with Braille jokes to decode), there is no index. Still, for readers whose fires need lighting, there’s motivational kindling on nearly every page.

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Hot on the heels of the well-received Leonardo da Vinci (2005) comes another agreeably chatty entry in the Giants of Science series. Here the pioneering physicist is revealed as undeniably brilliant, but also cantankerous, mean-spirited, paranoid and possibly depressive. Newton’s youth and annus mirabilis receive respectful treatment, the solitude enforced by family estrangement and then the plague seen as critical to the development of his thoughtful, methodical approach. His subsequent squabbles with the rest of the scientific community—he refrained from publishing one treatise until his rival was dead—further support the image of Newton as a scientific lone wolf. Krull’s colloquial treatment sketches Newton’s advances in clearly understandable terms without bogging the text down with detailed explanations. A final chapter on “His Impact” places him squarely in the pantheon of great thinkers, arguing that both his insistence on the scientific method and his theories of physics have informed all subsequent scientific thought. A bibliography, web site and index round out the volume; the lack of detail on the use of sources is regrettable in an otherwise solid offering for middle-grade students. (Biography. 10-14)

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ISBN: 0-670-05921-8

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Book Review: I Am Malala

“Education is education. We should learn everything and then choose which path to follow.” Education is neither Eastern nor Western, it is human.” Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani teenage girl, publicly spoke up in favor of female education and was shot in the head by the Taliban, in an apparent attempt to silence her. She survived. The near-fatal attack gave her a global voice that she has been using to continue her fight for female education, on a global scale. Her fight earned her a Nobel Prize when she was 17; this makes her the youngest Nobel Prize winner of all times. In her gripping book I Am Malala , Yousafzai tells a story of bravery, strength, and conviction.  

Malala was born and raised in Pakistan. Her father founded the local school she attended growing up. From a young age, Malala demonstrated strong character and soon began asking her father why women were being treated so poorly in Pakistan. In response, he told her about Afghanistan, where the Taliban burned schools for girls and forced women to wear full burkas. His goal was to make her realize that the poor treatment of women in Pakistan was actually not so bad, when compared to the way women are treated in Afghanistan.  

On October 8 th 2005, Pakistan was hit by one of the worst earthquakes the country had ever dealt with; Malala’s town was mostly spared. Some conservative religious associations quickly reacted and went to help the survivors in North Pakistan, where the impact had been the most violent. These religious groups began preaching that the earthquake was a warning from God and that Pakistan needed to change its ways. They warned that if it did not, the country would suffer from even worse earthquakes in the future. This message had a very strong effect on the shell-shocked population of Pakistan, who had been left vulnerable after the earthquake.

To spread their message to a wider audience, some imans began producing their own radio shows on illegal local waves. One of them, named Fazlullah, begged listeners to stop listening to music, stop going to the movies and stop dancing. He said that if they did not, God would send stronger earthquakes. Having been to school, Malala knew this was not true; she knew that earthquakes were a geological event and scientifically explainable. Yet, most of the women who listened to the program had not had the benefit of education and viewed this radio as a reliable source of information. Fazlullah’s radio sermons gained popularity and his show became known as Radio mullah. A few months later, the doorbell rang at Malala’s; someone claiming to be an Islamic scholar wanted to talk to her father. He told Malala’s father that the girls high school that he ran was blasphemous and that it should be closed.

Fazlullah then began saying that listening to any radio station other than his was haram , which means forbidden by Islam. He also declared that women should stay at home and only go out in case of emergency and ONLY IF they were wearing a burqa. Since his position evolved gradually, many of his listeners accepted his words as the truth without realizing how extreme he was becoming. As time passed, Fazlullah grew more and more assertive; he began naming people who had spoken out against him and declaring they were sinful. Over the two years that followed the earthquake, Fazlullah became very powerful. Malala was horrified when, one day, he announced on his radio show that schools for girls were haram . As Malala says in the book: “How could a place where I learned so much and laughed so much be so bad?”

One of the most transformational moments in the book and in Malala’s life was the assassination of Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Benazir Bhutto was the first female prime minister of a Muslim nation and she served between 1988 and 1990 and from 1993 to 1996. She went on self exile in 1998 to Dubai and the United Kingdom. She came back in October 2007 to help fight Fazlullah and the Taliban. Two months after her return, she was killed in an explosion at one of her events on live television. This is when Malala realized that no one was safe in Pakistan. From this point on, Malala, who was then 10 years old, began displaying her courage; at first by continuing to go to school and later by speaking out against the Taliban. At 11, she began writing a diary for the BBC to be read by people outside of Pakistan in order to tell them about the situation in her country. She volunteered to do this and actually had to write under a false name, as she would otherwise face terrible consequences. In addition, she also began doing interviews for national television, speaking out in support of girls’ education. In 2012, one of her speeches led to a group of Taliban militants stopping her school bus on the way home and shooting her in the head. Thankfully, she survived although she has since had to flee her country and now lives in the UK, continuing her fight for women’s right to education.

The book is a fast read and is written in a very accessible way. Malala uses humour in the book that helps relieve the tension of the situation she is living through. As I was reading it, I was horrified by what she lived through and impressed that she kept going despite the circumstances. She does a great job of showing the daily life in Pakistan under Taliban rule, pointing out issues and talking about her fight for women’s right.

Although I had heard about Malala before reading the book, I was not familiar with her story. Now that I have read it, I believe that her story is one everyone should know and that she is a voice everyone should listen to. Her book should be used in classes around the world. It is extremely powerful, and Malala is someone we can all learn from. When reading the book, you easily forget that Malala was just a child when most of these events happened. Most of us will not show one hundredth of her courage in our lifetime. She used her grief and her tragic past to build a cause and help solve the problems she sees as the most pressing. The fight is still going on and needs our attention, and Malala’s book is a testament to the power each and every one of us has to make the world a more equal place.

Check my review of “Let Her Fly” by Ziauddin Yousafzai (Malala’s father) here !

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I am malala yousafzai: ordinary people change the world, common sense media reviewers.

Engaging bio of teen education activist/Nobel prize winner.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Malala Yousafzai's life and work have focused on t

"We cannot succeed when half of us are held back..

From an early age, Malala is smart and loves to le

Malala says, "I'm a Pashtun, part of a tribe of pe

At 15, Malala survives being shot in the face at p

Parents need to know that I Am Malala Yousafzai is a stellar addition to the Ordinary People Change the World roster of picture-book biographies by Brad Meltzer and Christopher Eliopoulos. Books in the series feature notable figures from history and current events as the little kids they once were. In this…

Educational Value

Malala Yousafzai's life and work have focused on the importance of education and making it available to everyone -- so there's a strong education theme throughout. There's also a lot of information about Pakistani history and culture, including what happens when the Taliban take over your town and force you to flee as refugee, and how as a tween activist Malala was able to reach a global audience via the BBC with her accounts of the Taliban denying her an education. Some historic details hit home, such as the fact that Malala's mother didn't learn to read because only boys got an education in their society. Readers will learn a bit about the United Nations (where Malala spoke on her 16th birthday about the importance of education), the Nobel Peace Prize (which she received in 2014 at age 17), and her ongoing work in support of education for all, especially refugees and girls, who in many places lack access to school.

Positive Messages

"We cannot succeed when half of us are held back... education helps us all soar." Strong messages of family, determination, courage , perseverance , and doing what you can to help others and make a difference.

Positive Role Models

From an early age, Malala is smart and loves to learn -- and also recognizes that not everybody gets the chance, as she encounters a poor girl her own age who's forced to live by salvaging and selling junk from the garbage dump. Her father is a determined activist for girls' education in Pakistan, which makes him (and later Malala) a target when the Taliban take over. Both her parents are a strong and loving presence in her life, which helps give her the courage to defy threats meant to scare her out of speaking out for education. After she's shot and nearly killed, she shows courage and determination in recovering her health and continuing her work and studies.

Diverse Representations

Malala says, "I'm a Pashtun, part of a tribe of people from Afghanistan and Pakistan. I'm Muslim, which means Islam is my religion, and I'm committed to peace and helping others." This stands in sharp contrast to the Taliban, who use Islam as a way to repress girls and women's participation in society. The illustrations show many Muslim characters in traditional attire, and also support the "education is for everyone" theme with images of a very diverse crowd of kids of various skin tones, ethnicities, and abilities.

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Violence & Scariness

At 15, Malala survives being shot in the face at point-blank range by an assassin -- but as is common with such injuries, has no recollection of the incident. She remembers details of the bus ride leading up to it, and reconstructs the actual event from what she's heard about it, up to the point where the killer asks, "Which one's Malala?" She was also told the assassin's hand was shaking as he pulled the trigger, and the scene shows a hooded masked guy brandishing a gun. Then everything went black, as it does in the frame on the page. Then she recalls her long recovery. For years earlier, both she and her father were threatened with violence for supporting education for girls.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that I Am Malala Yousafzai is a stellar addition to the Ordinary People Change the World roster of picture-book biographies by Brad Meltzer and Christopher Eliopoulos . Books in the series feature notable figures from history and current events as the little kids they once were. In this case, the spotlight is on Muslim Pakistani teen and education activist Malala Yousafzai, who was determined to get an education and help other girls do likewise, and faced a lot of violent opposition: At 15, she survived being shot in the face at point-blank range by a Taliban assassin determined to silence her. Far from being silenced, she went on to recover, continue her work, and receive the Nobel Peace Prize at age 17, becoming the youngest person in history to do so. Family, education, courage, determination, and helping others are strong themes. As Malala says, "Education helps us all soar." Besides the title character, the book features many Muslim characters in traditional garb, and supports its message that education is for everybody with appealing illustrations of kids and families of many skin tones, ethnicities, and abilities.

Where to Read

Community reviews.

• Parents say (1)

Based on 1 parent review

Obviously some violence, make sure your kid is ready

What's the story.

I AM MALALA YOUSAFZAI begins in the narrator's hometown in Pakistan, where unlike most men, her father is a teacher and a strong advocate for educating girls -- all the more so as his own wife was never taught to read because only boys went to school. Young Malala grows up with a strong love of learning and a deep respect for the opportunities that come with education -- especially when she encounters poor kids who can't go to school and face a bleak future. When the Taliban take over her town and shut down her father's school, preteen Malala fights back with an account of her experiences that's soon the talk of the BBC (British radio). As she and her message become more visible and popular around the world, the Taliban are determined to silence her. At 15, she's riding the bus home from school with friends when an assassin shoots her in the face at point-blank range. She comes back even stronger, addressing the United Nations General Assembly about the importance of education at 16, receiving the Nobel Peace Prize for her work at 17, and founding the Malala Fund to help kids worldwide -- especially refugees and girls who lack resources where they are -- to get an education.

Is It Any Good?

This stellar addition to the Ordinary People Change the World series features the youthful activist whose advocacy for girls' education made her a target of the Taliban and Nobel Prize winner at 17. I Am Malala Yousafzai finds its narrator as a little kid successfully arm-wrestling her brothers and soaking up all the learning she could get in her father's school. As she comes to fight for her own education, she also becomes a voice for those who often miss out to get the same opportunity. Surviving an assassination attempt is just the beginning, and readers will cheer her unbeatable spirit along the way.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about how I Am Malala Yousafzai shows someone standing up for herself and others, even though powerful forces see her as a threat and try to silence her. Do you know anyone like this, or have you heard about them in stories? What cause is so important to them that they put themselves in danger for it? How does it turn out?

Do you like school? Is there something special you really like learning about?

Have you ever been kept from something you wanted to do because somebody else didn't think you were good enough to be allowed to do it? If this happened to you, did you figure out a way to solve the problem?

Book Details

• Author : Brad Meltzer
• Illustrator : Christopher Eliopoulos
• Genre : Biography
• Topics : Activism , Great Girl Role Models , History
• Character Strengths : Courage , Perseverance
• Book type : Non-Fiction
• Publisher : Dial
• Publication date : February 8, 2022
• Publisher's recommended age(s) : 5 - 9
• Number of pages : 40
• Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
• Award : Common Sense Selection
• Last updated : June 6, 2022

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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Book Reviews

I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai: Book Review

Malala Yousafzai was only fifteen when she was shot in the head by a member of the Taliban for speaking out for education for everyone around the world, but especially for girls, and especially in Muslim countries. She miraculously survived and now has an even larger audience for her message.

I think I’d heard a little bit about Malala before this book came out but only a little. Then I just happened to catch her on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart one night and I was blown away. This young lady is intelligent, well-spoken and seems to be fearless in speaking her mind. I can’t remember if Jon Stewart asked if he could adopt her or vote for her (probably both) but I echo that sentiment. I knew I had to have this book after seeing her speak.

The Malala in these pages is everything I expected her to be. She makes it clear that she’s not perfect but her conviction rings throughout the book. She knows it is one of her basic human rights to get an education. She has a brain and she wants to use it. She is disturbed by the spread of a version of Islam that she doesn’t recognize. She doesn’t want the Taliban keeping the populace in ignorance and gaining even more control. She thinks we should all make an educated choice in our beliefs, whether those beliefs are personal, political, or religious.

She begins by painting a picture of Pakistan as she saw it before the Taliban started gaining control. It sounds like a beautiful place with a troubled past. Then she tells about all the ways, both little and big, that the Taliban started to affect daily life. This was the scariest part for me. It felt like it could happen anywhere. It seemed to begin with a radio show and a man who slowly gained power by starting with small statements that a lot of people agreed with and then slowly getting more and more fanatical until he had too much power for anyone to stop him. It was scary. Then Malala’s valley is evacuated as the Pakistan army and the Taliban finally fight for control.

Throughout all of this, Malala’s father was an outspoken opponent of all the radical changes. As the owner of a school, he was especially outspoken about every child’s right to receive an education. Malala wanted to join him in that fight since it directly affected her. Her father started receiving death threats and losing friends as they were murdered for similar beliefs. He carried on though and Malala did too.

As I read, I wondered what I would do in their shoes. I’ll be honest: I’m more of a keep-my-mouth-shut-and-my-head-down-and-hope-I-make-it-through kind of person. But that’s how these crazy agendas gain so much ground; they count on the majority of people having exactly that reaction. When we wonder how one person can ever make a difference, we can always find an example of one person who already has. To that list, we can add Malala Yousafzai. She’s one of our bright hopes for the future. Pick up this book and find out why.

Read an excerpt .

Malala has set up The Malala Fund. “The Malala Fund believes that each girl, and boy, has the ability to change the world and that all she needs is a chance. To give girls this chance, the Fund aspires to invest in efforts that empower local communities, develop innovative solutions that build upon traditional approaches, and deliver not just basic literacy, but the tools, ideas and networks that can help girls find their voices and create a better tomorrow.” Check out the website , Facebook , and Twitter .

Buy I Am Malala at

I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop’s , my local independent bookstore located in beautiful downtown Asheville, NC; and Better World Books . I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site. My opinions are completely my own.

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My jobs diversity book club choice is this one but I am a mood reader and just unsure if I will get to it, she is amazing and motivating though.

I hope you will share this review on my Small Victories Sunday linky that's open all week. I love sharing good books with my readers. Sorry, I can't remember if I already invited you.

momssmallvictories.com/small-victories-sunday-14-spring-break/

She is an amazing young lady. Like you, I am more of a keep me and my family safe kind of mom. While I strongly believe in kids education, I don't know that I would be as strong as Malala and her father. I have been wanting to read this. Glad the book is as thought provoking and wonderful as you thought it would be.

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I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World (Young Readers Edition) Paperback – Illustrated, June 14, 2016

Purchase options and add-ons.

• Print length 256 pages
• Language English
• Grade level 5 and up
• Lexile measure 830L
• Dimensions 5.5 x 0.75 x 8.25 inches
• Publisher Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Publication date June 14, 2016
• ISBN-10 0316327913
• ISBN-13 978-0316327916
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Editorial reviews, about the author, product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Reprint edition (June 14, 2016)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0316327913
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0316327916
• Reading age ‏ : ‎ 10 - 13 years, from customers
• Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 830L
• Grade level ‏ : ‎ 5 and up
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.1 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.75 x 8.25 inches
• #1 in Teen & Young Adult Social Activist Biographies
• #1 in Teen & Young Adult Women Biographies
• #1 in Teen & Young Adult Political Biographies

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About the authors

Patricia mccormick.

Patricia McCormick is a two-time National Book Award Finalist whose books include "Cut," "SOLD," "Never Fall Down," and the young readers edition of "I am Malala." SOLD, based on McCormick's research in the brothels of India, has been made into a feature film. www.soldthemovie.com

Her first picture book, "Sergeant Reckless, The Story of the Little Horse Who Became a Hero," was called a rousing success by the New York Times. And her non-fiction book, "The Plot to Kill Hitler," was a Publishers Weekly Top Ten of 2016.

Her debut novel, "Cut" is a sensitive portrayal of one girl's struggle with self-injury. "SOLD," a searing novel about child trafficking and "Never Fall Down," based on the true story of a boy who survived the Killing Fields of Cambodia, were National Book Award finalists.

She worked recently with Malala Yousafzai, on the young readers' edition of "I am Malala," the story of the Pakistani girl who was shot by the Taliban for standing up for her right to an education.

For more information: http://www.pattymccormick.com/ and http://www.facebook.com/pages/Patricia-McCormick/150993641605301

Malala Yousafzai

Malala Yousafzai S.St (Malālah Yūsafzay: Urdu: ملالہ یوسفزئی‎; Pashto: ملاله یوسفزۍ‎ [məˈlaːlə jusəf ˈzəj]; born 12 July 1997) is a Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate. She is known mainly for human rights advocacy for education and for women in her native Swat Valley in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of northwest Pakistan, where the local Taliban had at times banned girls from attending school. Yousafzai's advocacy has since grown into an international movement.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Russell Watkins/Department for International Development. (https://www.flickr.com/photos/dfid/14714344864/) [OGL (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/1/) or CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

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Book Review: I Am Malala

"I Am Malala" was a pretty great book, and is now one of my personal favorites. It did not take me long to read and is good for anyone ages 12+. This book does contain some sensitive contents and might not be great for younger kids, unless the parents are okay with harsh and sad topics in the Middle East. The book does not contain a whole lot of content on what goes on in that area of the world, and it mostly focuses on Malala and her story. Malala is a young teen from the Swat Valley in Pakistan. She was raised peacefully, but the Taliban soon started to take over the area. The Taliban started like a little seed, but grew into a giant weed that basically controlled everything. They eventually made it so girls were not allowed to go to school, and women were not aloud out of their house unless they are accompanied by a male relative. Malala would not put up with this, for she has a desire to learn and know answers to her questions. She is the daughter of the principal of her school, and grew up admiring the students that attended. After surviving a bullet to the head, months in the hospital, and a move to England, Malala becomes activist and stands up for girl's rights and her belief that everyone has the right to go to school. I liked this book because Malala is a great role model and author. She really provides a strong figure for any girl growing up in this hectic world. This is definitely one of the best books I have read and I am sure I will read it again in times to come. Any girl (or boy) can relate to Malala because she described herself as being an ordinary girl that wanted to see change in the world. She shows that anyone can adjust their view on the world if they just use their voice to speak out. I absolutely suggest this book to someone if they are looking for a fairly quick read! Reviewer Grade: 7

Travel Book Review: I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

Last updated on June 24, 2023 by Shannon

Though Malala is most known for surviving a Taliban attack, she starts the story earlier. She writes of her childhood and the worldview her father instilled in her. You see her education advocacy work bubble to the forefront as it took root in her life — not as an overt political statement, but simply a schoolgirl’s desire to learn. It’s only as the Taliban rises to power that she weaves in current events. And that too is fascinating.

The Pakistan of Malala’s childhood is different from anything I ever considered. Throughout her story, Malala offers a Pakistani version of events that I had known only through my own American worldview. Though I try to read widely and beyond mainstream news media, I have a filtered version of the world viewed through English-language information. I am surrounded by my country’s rhetoric about Islam and the countries in and near the Middle East. Though Malala left Pakistan before ISIS took the main political stage, reading her book is perhaps even more timely in light of current events. I see American media tell just a single story about Islam and the conflict in that region. While Malala never gets overtly political, she instead uses her story to show what it felt to live through various milestone events. She writes about the friends, family, and neighbors casually killed by the Taliban in the early days. She shares her struggles during a massive internal displacement — she and all the people she loves scattered around Pakistan to flee the Taliban.

She gives a voice to what it was like living in Pakistan during a period of conflict. And through her story, it gives a slight glimpse at what families in Syria must face as ISIS fights for control of their homes and their lives.

Some have made comparisons to the diary of Anne Frank. The comparisons are apt. Both books lack artifice or fancy language. The authors don’t put on airs. They share their thoughts, hopes, and dreams with a sophisticated simplicity. Hearing the story from their viewpoint allowed me to see a clearer truth. Malala tells her story with unflinching honesty and a clarity of language that speaks louder than any fancy prose could. Last week, a friend shared that he would have more compassion for Syrian refugees if he had even a single Muslim friend. He knew his worldview was limited without a nuanced understanding of the religion and the people from this region. And you know, Malala’s story just might be that Trojan horse in disguise. She might just be a friend for those who want to know more about the Islam and that region of the world.

You can find I Am Malala  on Amazon.

Book Giveaway

I offered a free copy of  I Am Malala   to newsletter subscribers  and readers.

Bonus entry question:

Tell me in the comment: What is one place on your travel wishlist for 2016?

And consider sharing the love. I’ll send you good juju if you share this post/site with one person you think might also love to read it! :)

Read my past travel book reviews , or browse my selection of the best books about countries around the world . And read my  reviews policy and disclaimer . Although I occasionally allow a company or author to host a giveaway, I sponsored this month myself.

9 thoughts on “Travel Book Review: I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai”

I really liked your review and reflection. It carries a vibration of clearsightedness and of being genuine, something that I haven’t felt in many other reviews of the same book so far.

I also just wanted to humbly add that Pakistan is not located in the Middle East. Rather it is South Asia. There is a real difference. People often make that mistake though. I guess the factor of religion gets in the way of geography.

Warmest wishes!

Thank you Ulf, I appreciate your kinds words. And a fair point on the Middle East. It’s a result of the media here. The Bush Administration called the region “Greater Middle East” to include Pakistan and the majority Muslim countries in that region. But it’s imprecise language on my part, so I will adjust the post a bit to reflect that!

I am Malala sounds like a fascinating book to read. I recently read one about an Indian boy who was lost at 5, and ended up being adopted by Australians. 25years later he found his way back home. It was a very moving tale, and I would love to read more stories about similar happenings to help learn more about the world and individual peoples lives as I think it’s a brilliant way to get an insight into different cultures. As for my 2016 travel wish list, i’d love to visit Nepal. I’ve long wanted to trek in the Himalayas. I’m heading to Asia in February…so I guess it all depends on budget and plans! Fingers crossed, and thank you for the giveaway! :)

Hi Gemma! You won this month’s giveaway! I’ll shoot you an email with more specifics. So excited to hear about your Asia plans — Nepal is beautiful and they could surely use the tourism if you are able to make it there. :)

I’d love to enter! I read 38 books this year, and next year I start my Gap year and I’m switching to a e-reader for the first time to be more travel savy. I’m hoping to be able to adapt to the change (i love my hard copies so much). This is one book that I still unfortunately have not picked up.

One place on my travel wishlist is Egypt!! Which I hope to check off my list by the end of the year next year.

This is so cool! I was about to pick up a copy because the 10th grade English teachers might add this to our reading curriculum. So glad you did a book review on it, Shannon!

I always appreciate your travel book reviews! I haven’t picked this one up yet–regardless of the contest I am sure I will in 2016–so many important themes seem weaved throughout it. Happy holidays!!

This is an amazing story that I would love to read. I would love to visit new York city in 2016.

Thanks for sponsoring this contest. Your reasons for wanting to read her book mirror mine. We desperately need to learn more about other cultures and faiths, both to increase empathy and to allow us to counter bigotry and hate speech. Malala is a wonderful inspiration. I’m taking an informal sabbatical starting in February, so I hope this will be the year of travel, starting with a return to Laos and hopefully Burma, since I’ll be in the neighborhood!

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I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb - review

Malala Yousafzai's tale is infamous throughout the world. Malala is an education activist from Swat district in Pakistan.

At the age of 16, she has written for the BBC (under a pseudonym) describing her life in Swat valley, stood up for education at various protests, been nominated for the Nobel peace prize and been shot in the eye socket and neck by one of the worlds most dangerous extremist terrorist organisations, the Taliban.

I Am Malala, written from Malala's point of view, is a beautifully written, brutally honest and heart-warming tale of a girl's innocence and will to make a positive difference, and how she was almost lost to the hands of a brutal and suppressive body who attempted, and still continue to threaten, to kill her.

Malala has been described as a martyr for her cause countless times. She's been portrayed as the 'poor brave girl who got shot' or the 'girl who survived the Taliban shooting and spoke at the UN'. We're all so caught up in making Malala sound like a heroine, that we forget she's a teenager as well.

We're so busy talking about how brilliantly she speaks and what a wonderful vision she has for the world, that we tend to not care about her friends and her encounters, and what she likes to do in her free time. She's outstandingly bold, and a true idol, but Malala lives in the real world. She is one of us.

The way the book progresses is so powerful, it tends to hold on even after you've closed that perfect last page. Every child in the world must read this, or must have Malala's story read to them. For us readers, it may seem like a fairytale.

Malala now lives in the UK with her family; they're safe and happy. But the revolution that she started still continues to shake the world, and especially Pakistan, with its impact.

There's still a long way to go before the children of Swat valley can pick up a book and a pen, stand up for education and not have their lives in danger.

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