Author: Malala Yousafzai & Patricia McCormick
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Publication Date: 2014
Page Count: 224 (Hardcover)
Age Recommendation: 10
"I am Malala. This is my story."
Malala Yousafzai was only ten years old when the Taliban took control of her region. They said music was a crime. They said women weren't allowed to go to the market. They said girls couldn't go to school.
Raised in a once-peaceful area of Pakistan transformed by terrorism, Malala was taught to stand up for what she believes. So she fought for her right to be educated. And on October 9, 2012, she nearly lost her life for the cause: She was shot point-blank while riding the bus on her way home from school.
No one expected her to survive.
Now she is an international symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest- ever Nobel Peace Prize nominee. In this Young Readers Edition of her bestselling memoir, which includes excessive photos and material, we hear firsthand the remarkable story of a girl who knew from a young age that she wanted to change the world-and did.
Malala's powerful story will open your eyes to another world and will make you believe in hope, truth, miracles, and the possibility that one person- one young person- can inspire change in her community and beyond. ~ Goodreads
Oh my gosh. I am absolutely blown away by this book. I knew that is was going to be amazing due to who it was about. But honestly, to get so hooked and eager to finish this book, sort of surprised me. Malala is such an inspirational person and this is an AMAZING book to help people understand what has/is going on in the world. I knew a little about the Taliban and the struggles of young girls trying to get an education beforehand, but she describes it so clearly that even if I had no previous knowledge of the situation, I knew what was going on. This is such a powerful novel and it will move and empower so many people, specifically girls, that I would recommend it to everyone! She starts off at the beginning of her childhood and shows what life is like in Pakistan very nicely. I love her descriptions of her home and daily life..
She also addresses the children's rights issue very very nicely (dur). Like, she just wants to go to school? And so then she gets shot in the head. Yup. We live in a messed up world. She's been through so much pain and yet she somehow still manages to be optimistic? And so so so brave. I know if I had gone through even half of what she had I probably would've had a mental breakdown.
I also love how she talks about all these awards being named after her. Like, she was honored that she got that...well...honor, but she was also really worried about not actually being worth it? That's a very human fear and she makes it come across really well.
My only complaint is that the writing felt a bit clunky and the sentences were formed a little weirdly sometimes.
FABULOUS QUOTES!
What a strange world it was when a girl who wanted to go to school had to defy militants with machine guns - as well as her own family.
...
Girls like us might be reprimanded. A grown woman could be beaten. Or killed. "This secret school," she said, "is our silent protest."
...
The school was my world, and my world was the school.
I give this book 4.5 stars out of 5!