DAVID ADAMS reads I Am Malala…
Malala Yousafzai with Christina Lamb
I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education a-Was Shot by the Taliban
Phoenix-London-2014
ISBN: 978-1780226583
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“There’s a sense of the grand sweep of history in the issues Malala addresses but this remains very much a personal story.”
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Malala Yousafzai made world headlines when she was targeted in an attack by the Taliban in Pakistan in 2012. An outspoken advocate for education, the then 15-year-old had been vocal in calling for change in the country of her birth before the attempt was made to silence her forever.
Thankfully, the attempt failed and Malala – who in 2014 became the youngest ever recipient of a Nobel Peace Prize – was relocated to the UK for medical treatment and later joined there by her family who now reside there.
Framed by the attack which led to her leaving her homeland and its aftermath, the book tells of Malala’s life growing up in the town of Mingora in the Swat Valley and how things changed with the arrival of the Taliban. It charts her rise to global prominence through the blog she wrote, under a pseudonym, about life under the Taliban for the BBC and, in 2010, the New York Times documentary made about her life.
There’s a sense of the grand sweep of history in the issues Malala addresses but this remains very much a personal story. While the book was co-written with British journalist Christina Lamb, what one assumes is Malala’s voice can be heard throughout, clearly evoking the beauty of her home country of Pakistan – and in particular her beloved Swat Valley – and the extreme challenges it faces.
Her courage shines through and Malala doesn’t hold back when giving her views on everything from the US drone strikes in Pakistan to the ineffectiveness of the Pakistani military.
While such issues make it easy for the reader to momentarily forget her youth, there also plenty of material – such as when she speaks of playing with her brothers on the roof of their house, for example, or the competitiveness she shows in trying to achieve top marks at school – to constantly draw you back to that recognition.
The voices of her parents – in particular her father, Ziauddin – can also be heard here and there’s certainly a strong sense of the influence he has had in shaping Malala’s thoughts. The importance of the Muslim faith and her culture to Malala is also obvious and plays a key role in her providing a window for those of us living in the West to see into another world.
A inspirational book for anyone looking to make the world a better place – there’s no easy or quick solutions in the world Malala inhabits and, even given her young age at the time of writing, it’s easy to believe that she is in this struggle for the long haul (and, indeed, subsequent events – in which Malala has continued to lobby leaders in her own country and around the world for the rights of children, particularly with regard to education – have shown that to be the case.)
A moving, compelling and worthwhile read.
Follow this link to buy this book I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education a-Was Shot by the Taliban.
