Malala Yousafzai is most famously known as the girl who was shot in the head by the Taliban. She has also more recently been known as the youngest nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize. She spoke at the UN on her 16th birthday, 12 July 2013.
I had learned about the shooting of Malala on the national news when the rest of the world did in October 2012. She next entered my consciousness almost a year to the day after her shooting when she appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart - 8 October 2013. [ Jon Stewart Interview ] He spoke with her about her book I Am Malala which had just been published. Immediately, I knew I had to read this book. I was extremely impressed by her composure and intelligence, not to mention her extreme courage.
I got a copy of the book and started reading it, and the book was written in such an honest and accessible way that it just seemed natural that my students should read it, so before I had even gotten through the first few chapters, I announced to my 2 Honors English 9 sections that they would be reading this book. We have spent the last 2 months reading, discussing and writing about Malala and her experiences as documented in this book. I feel it has been a very valuable reading experience for my students as well as for me.
Malala's cause is that of education, specifically in her home of Pakistan, but also in the world. In 2007, when Malala was 10, the Taliban took over the region of Pakistan where she lived - it is is an area in the northern part of Pakistan known as the Swat Valley. Her family lived in the town of Mingora. Her father's life mission had been to build a school, and he had done that. It was a school for girls which he built from the ground up, known as The Khushal School. When the Taliban took over in Swat, they started talking about closing girl's schools. That was when Malala started speaking out publicly about the importance of education. She quickly made a name for herself and began getting some notoriety throughout the country, even winning some awards. This fame put her in the crosshairs of the gun of a Talib . On 9 October 2012, when she was just 15, Malala was shot in the head at point blank range as she rode in the back of her school bus with some of her classmates.
Malala was immediately taken to a hospital in Pakistan, but when she didn't progress as hoped, she was flown to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, England - a hospital which happened to be treating many victims of the war with the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
In January of 2013, after several surgeries and much rehabilitation, she was released from the hospital to live with her family in England. By April she was able to start school there as well. She also began work on this book with journalist Christina Lamb. As of the writing of this entry, the family has not returned to the Swat Valley out of fear that they will be targets again.
The book talks a lot about the Yousafzai family history and about Malala's very happy and stable childhood. She has two younger brothers, Khushal and Atal. Her father, Ziauddin, was hugely influential in her life. He is an outspoken advocate of equality for women in a culture where that has historically been discouraged. When most families would mourn the birth of a daughter as an unfortunate fact of nature, he named his daughter after Malalai of Maiwand, the greatest heroine of Afghanistan, and boldly proclaimed that his daughter would also be great!
In her book, Malala then documents the take-over of her homeland by the Taliban. Her final chapters deal with the aftermath of her attack.
This book has provided tremendous learning opportunities about the culture of Pakistan as well as the culture of Islam. Malala's courage in speaking out about the evils of the Taliban regime is really amazing. At first glance it would seem that her outspokenness is a product of a child's naivety; however, she makes it clear that she understands the dangers. She is determined to not be silenced by fear. She is fighting for the right to a good education for all people, and this has become her life's mission.
I recommend this book very highly. I can't say it was all enjoyable reading. Some of it is quite sad and quite scary, but it is honest and informative and gives insight into a very real part of today's world. Getting to know this young woman of courage was worth every page of reading!
:) Amy
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