I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World
The book I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World (Young Readers Edition) by Malala Yousafzai with Patricia McCormick is an inspiring story of Malala, a Pakistani schoolgirl who, despite being targeted and shot by the Taliban, continued to peacefully advocate for the rights of all girls to receive an education.
Malala’s steadfast courage leaves readers feeling as if anything is possible. Her parents’ support of her education and dreams along with her unwavering faith and sense of social justice paved the way for Malala to become who she is meant to be—a leader.
With wisdom and strength far beyond her years, it could be easy to forget Malala’s age; however, along with her heroic acts, she shares relatable stories of fighting with her younger brothers and best friend, competing with her classmates, and even oversleeping for a meeting with a U.S. ambassador.
The Young Readers Edition is written for youth 10 to 12 years of age and is 204 pages. Additionally, the book includes engaging color photographs that bring Malala’s experiences to life, and a timeline of important events outlines Pakistan’s history and Malala’s work.
Malala’s Story
At just 10 years old, when most of us are learning long division and navigating friendships at school, Malala Yousafzai was advocating peacefully for girls’ education while her region was under terrorist attack.
Malala lived in Swat, Pakistan, with her mother, father, and two younger brothers. Her mother, like many of the women in her community, did not know how to read. Her father, a school principal, founded the Khushal School for Girls and ran three separate campuses for boys and girls.
From an early age, Malala was drawn to the conversations her father and his friends had about politics, and she noticed the inequities all around her—children scavenging from dumpsters to support their families rather than attend school and women unable to leave their homes without a male family member. She prayed to God asking how she could help.
Eventually, the Taliban banned all semblances of normal life including music, dancing, movies, and television, and forbade girls to attend school. Malala’s father spoke out against these injustices to all those who would listen.
With her father’s example and her family’s support, Malala took interviews with local and international media outlets and wrote anonymously for the British Broadcasting Corporation network about her experiences as a schoolgirl under the Taliban.
At the age of 15, Malala was targeted for her advocacy work and shot in the head by the Taliban while on her school bus. She was placed in a medical coma and taken to a hospital in Birmingham, England for better care. Miraculously, Malala lived with the help of many surgeries, physical therapy, and the support of those around the world who heard her story and rallied behind her. Malala’s family joined her in Birmingham to begin a new life together.
Just two years after her near-death experience, Malala became the youngest person ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Additionally, she has received numerous awards, including Pakistan's first National Youth Peace Prize and the International Children’s Peace Prize. By the time she was 18 years old, Malala was advocating for Syrian refugees and had projects in Jordan, Pakistan, Kenya, and Nigeria. In 2020, Malala graduated from the University of Oxford with a philosophy, politics, and economy degree and continues her good work today.
Inspiring Quotes from Malala
(*Bolding in quotes is my own)
Courage
“When I went to bed each night, I had a talk with God. Please, God, tell me what I can do. I’m a small girl, but maybe you have a small job for me?” (43).
“...a tiny voice in my heart whispered to me: ‘Why don’t you go there and fight for women’s rights? Fight to make Pakistan a better place?’” (55).
“‘We are afraid of no one, and we will continue our education. This is our dream.’ And I knew in that instant that it wasn’t me, Malala, speaking; my voice was the voice of so many others who wanted to speak but couldn’t” (71).
“How had I become so bold? I wondered. ‘Well, Malala,’ I told myself, ‘you’re not doing anything wrong. You are speaking for peace, for your rights, for the rights of girls. That’s not wrong. That’s your duty’” (92).
Education
“Even my own mother, who’d grown up in the village, couldn’t read. It is not at all uncommon for women in my country to be illiterate, but to see my mother, a proud and intelligent woman, struggle to read the prices in the bazaar was an unspoken sadness for both of us, I think” (23).
“In a country where women aren’t allowed out in public without a man, we girls traveled far and wide inside the pages of our books. In a land where many women can’t read the prices in the markets, we did multiplication” (34).
“...when a teacher appreciates you, you think, I am something! In a society where people believe girls are weak and not capable of anything except cooking and cleaning, you think I have a talent. When a teacher tells you that all great leaders and scientists were once children, too, you think, Maybe we can be the great ones tomorrow. In a country where so many people consider it a waste to send girls to school, it is a teacher who helps you believe in your dreams” (61).
A Family’s Support
“When a boy is born in Pakistan, it’s cause for celebration. . . . But when a girl is born, no one visits the parents, and women have only sympathy for the mother. My father paid no mind to these customs. I’ve seen my name—in bright blue ink—right there among the male names of our family tree. Mine was the first female name in three hundred years” (18-19).
“...my mother wanted to help everyone. She had started putting bread crusts in a bowl on the kitchen windowsill. Nearby was an extra pot of rice and chicken. The bread was for the birds; the food was for a poor family in our neighborhood” (27).
“This was my calling. Some powerful force had come to dwell inside me, something bigger and stronger than me, and it had made me fearless. Now it was up to me to give my father a dose of the courage he had always given me” (119).