I Am Malala

I picked up I Am Malala knowing the basic story-that she was the girl who stood up to the Taliban and was shot for wanting to go to school-but reading it in her own words was something else entirely. To read her story is to be a witness, however remote, to the evil that plagues certain parts of the world and to the fear that ignites in people, the need to suppress others.

Malala's voice is honest, warm, and sometimes even funny, which makes her story feel both personal and inspiring. She shares her family history, her love for learning, and what it was like to grow up in Pakistan during a time of rapid change.

What really stuck with me is how young she was, yet how fiercely she believed in education as a fundamental right. It's not just a book about surviving violence-it's about courage, family, and the power of speaking up. It's one of those reads that makes you stop and think about how much we take for granted. She is an inspiration for all.

The bestselling, "remarkable" (Marie Claire) memoir by the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, I Am Malala will make you believe in the power of one person's voice to inspire change in the world.

"I come from a country that was created at midnight. When I almost died it was just after midday."

When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education. On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, when she was fifteen, she almost paid the ultimate price. She was shot in the head at point-blank range while riding the bus home from school, and few expected her to survive.

Instead, Malala's miraculous recovery has taken her on an extraordinary journey from a remote valley in northern Pakistan to the halls of the United Nations in New York. At sixteen, she became a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest nominee ever for the Nobel Peace Prize.

I Am Malala is the remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls' education, of a father who, himself a school owner, championed and encouraged his daughter to write and attend school, and of brave parents who have a fierce love for their daughter in a society that prizes sons.

A MEMOIR BY THE YOUNGEST RECIPIENT OF THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE

As seen on Netflix with David Letterman

From the publisher

Hatchette/Little, Brown and Company | Oct 8, 2013 | 352 pages | ISBN:9780316322409 | Memoir

1. Malala is known for her passion for education and women's rights. How does her passion for education shape her life? Do you have a particular cause that you care about deeply? Discuss.

2. Malala became an activist when she was very young. Discuss how you felt while reading about her experience. Where did Malala find her courage and inspiration?

3. Malala and her father have a very unique and close relationship. Think of someone in your life who has been a mentor. How did they inspire you?

4. Discuss Malala's relationship with her mother. What influence does she have on Malala? In what ways does Malala's relationship with her mother compare/contrast with her relationship with her father?

5. Have you dealt with a traumatic or life changing experience? How did you react in the aftermath of that incident?

6. Malala witnesses her immediate surroundings change dramatically within a short time period. Describe the changes to both Pakistan and Swat throughout I AM MALALA. How does Malala experience and respond to these changes? How is Malala's character influenced and shaped by her surroundings?

7. Throughout the book, Malala describes her desire to return home to Swat valley. Discuss how Malala's relationship with Swat is complicated even further by her role as an activist. Do you think Malala will return to Pakistan and Swat? Discuss.

8. Malala demonstrates an overwhelming sense of courage in the face of adversity. Discuss how Malala reacts to the challenges she faces, as well as the challenges to Swat and Pakistan. How do her peers react? What gives them strength?

9. Malala's family now lives in Birmingham, England. Have you ever been uprooted in your life? What happened and how did you adapt? How did that experience shape your worldview?

Book Club Talking Points:
I Am Malala, is definitely one of those reads that will stick with you for a long time. It's Malala Yousafzai's own story, and it's just incredibly eye-opening-how a teenage girl in Pakistan literally risked her life just to go to school. It would be an amazing book club pick because the themes are so huge-courage, education as a human right, religious extremism, and the power of one voice. There is so much to talk about and it really make you think about what we might take for granted every single day.

A 2015 Amelia Bloomer Project List Selection
A CBC 2015 Children's Choice Book Awards Finalist

"A searing and personal portrait of a young woman who dared to make a difference."-Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"This is no simple redaction. With the capable assistance of co-author McCormick, the account has been effectively rewritten specifically for children...[I]t should pack quite a wallop."-Kirkus Reviews

"Although her efforts to attend school, and the subsequent attack she endured, make for a powerful story, Yousafzai writes just as vividly about her daily life as a child in Pakistan.... Yousafzai's fresh, straightforward voice creates an easily read narrative that will introduce a slew of younger readers to both her story and her mission."-Booklist

[Yousafzai's] strong voice and ideals come across on every page, emphasizing how her surroundings and supportive family helped her become the relevant figure she is today....-SLJ

"Malala Yousafzai isn't the first to proclaim the pen mightier than the sword, but she is probably the only teenager to emerge defiant after taking a bullet for the right of literacy."-Los Angeles Times

"Everyone who laid eyes on Malala Yousafzai knew the Pakastani schoolgirl was someone special. When her mountain town of Mingora, in the Swat Valley, fell under Taliban rule, her courage made her a powerful symbol."-Vanity Fair

"Among Yousafzai's many gifts is the ability to convey both how extraordinary she herself is and how many children might be, too, if someone taught them how to read and write."-TheNewYorker.com