Book Review: 'I am Malala' by Malala Yousafzai with Christina Lamb

A review of Malala Yousafzai's memoir 'I am Malala.'

'I am Malala' by Malala Yousafzai with Christina Lamb.

• Book title: I am Malala - The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by The Taliban
• Author(s): Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb
• Language: English
• Genre(s): Memoir, Autobiography, Non-fiction
• Year of release: 2013
• Publisher: Hachette India
• Format that I read the book in: Paperback
• Book length: 276 pages

BLURB

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

When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education.

On Tuesday 9 October 2012, she almost paid the ultimate price. Shot in the head at point-blank range while riding the bus home from school, she was not expected 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 has become a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest ever nominee 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, and of Malala's parents' fierce love for their daughter in a society that prizes sons.

It will make you believe in the power of one person's voice to inspire change in the world.

'Who is Malala?' the gunman demanded. I am Malala and this is my story.

REVIEW

'I am Malala' is undoubtedly the best book that I have read this year. There is nothing about it that I haven't loved. And what makes it more impressive is that the story within its pages is real - that of a real person. The book is well-written and in spite of being a memoir it reads almost like a fiction novel.

The story hooked me right from the first page itself and I was instantly drawn into Malala's world. Not only does Malala talk about her personal, familial, and educational life here, but she also narrates the complete political history of her motherland Pakistan, as that background is necessary for the reader to understand her journey better. It was an interesting peek into how life across the border could be like.

Until now all I knew about Pakistan is that it is my nation's biggest foe, which was originally a part of our territory before it was created as a separate Islamic country in the August of 1947 - when India became independent from the British rule. I was not aware of much of what happened there after 1947, but thanks to this book I have gained a lot of information.

I enjoyed reading descriptions of the picturesque Swat valley in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan which happens to be Malala's hometown. It is upsetting to learn how the rising influence of the terrorist group Taliban ruins the lives of the valley's citizens. They force women to observe pardah all the time, do not permit them to step outside without being accompanied by a male relative, break TV sets, give threatening radio broadcasts, disallow girls from going to school, kill the ones who disobey their regressive rules, and so on. That the ruling Pakistani army and intelligence agency ISI are in cahoots with the Taliban does not help matters.

Even in such a despondent situation, Malala and her father Ziauddin Yousafzai refused to give in to the Taliban's demands. Malala's ever-increasing thirst for learning ensured that she continued going to school - defying the Taliban's orders. With her father's support she continued fighting for every girl's right to education. Her peaceful protests, education campaigns, and television interviews made her a known figure nationwide. She even received a number of awards. Her rising fame soon made her a target of the Taliban, who considered her a threat to Islam, and shot her down one day while she was riding on the school bus.

What follows is a moving journey that chronicles Malala's struggle to fight for her life in hospitals in Pakistan and later in Birmingham, UK. The shooting incident catapulted her to international fame and popularised her campaign for education across the globe. As we know that she survived, but that one (shooting) incident changed her as well as her family's life forever.

The key takeaways from this book are-  the mighty power of education, the difference between jingoism and patriotism, the correct interpretation of religion, and gender equality. Malala openly criticises the Taliban, the military, and the government, but has immense love for Pakistan and especially for her Swat valley. She says that religion never imposes senseless restrictions on people, but some deliberately misinterpret the holy books to seek control over others, thereby maligning the religion in the eyes of the world. Malala is the apple of her parents' eyes which is unusual in a patriarchal society like theirs. All this just goes on to show the powerful and positive impact of a good education on our psychology.

The book has been divided into five parts. Malala's birth, hometown, family, the political situation in her country, her father's activism, her schooling, her peaceful campaign for girls' education, and her life after being shot by the Taliban - everything has been covered. It was a very engaging read. It has been written beautifully in a way that is easy to understand and both Malala and her co-writer Christina Lamb have to be credited for this, because though the story might be Malala's, Lamb with her years of experience in journalism and writing must be the one to have given it the appropriate shape. This memoir had been written before Malala had won the Nobel Peace Prize. She is every bit deserving of that award.

'I am Malala' is a tale of extraordinary courage and an infectious passion for education that is a must-read for all.

What I liked about this book:

1. Engaging read.
2. Inspirational story.
3. Beautiful writing.
4. Pakistani political history has been made easy to understand.

What I didn't like about this book:

Nothing! I loved it beyond measure.


Final verdict: ✪✪✪✪✪ / 5

Also read: Book Review of The Forest of Enchantments by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni


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