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A review by keberwick
I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai
5.0
When I finished this book, I was getting my hair and nails done. After finishing the last sentence, I sat there and just stared into space thinking, this brave and beautiful girl has been alive for less time than I have, and she's done more than I can ever dream of doing. And here I am, pampering myself. . I have honestly never been more moved or inspired by a human being. The dedication she has to defending the right for girls to be educated is something so beautiful and pure that I don't think I have the words to do it justice.
I love learning. I love the feeling you get when you've successfully answered a question right or you've finally grasped a concept that you were previously struggling with. As a child, I went to a private school in Northern Virginia. I was (and I still am) living a very privileged life. However, because of my father's job in the military and my mother's involvement with politics before I was born, I like to believe I've always been more aware of the struggle that people in other countries go through. I moved to South Korea at the start of 8th grade and was enrolled in an international school where international events are always being discussed. This past Tuesday, I spent my entire History class talking about the Ukrainian crisis; in Spanish, we discussed the Venezuelan protests. For an American high school student, I thought I was remarkably well-versed in the events of the international community. However, after reading this, I realize how little I truly know about the Middle East and how much the information I receive is biased towards the American perspective. All I knew about Swat Valley was that it was another Taliban stronghold. I have Pakistani neighbors and I realize now that I know absolutely nothing about their country. And I am ashamed.
Malala's story opened my eyes to so much. I have the desire to go and help these girls and women in whatever capacity I can. Her bravery and her family's bravery is beautiful, but also incredibly sad. It should not be brave to attend school and to educate your daughter and other girls. But it is, and I hope that Malala sees her dream come true early on in her life. I also am incredibly impressed at how strong her faith is. I think having faith in something is a beautiful thing, but this book (as I'm sure countless others do as well) shows how dangerous faith can be as well. It shows how dangerous illiteracy can be and how powerful one girl (and one father) can be.
I love learning. I love the feeling you get when you've successfully answered a question right or you've finally grasped a concept that you were previously struggling with. As a child, I went to a private school in Northern Virginia. I was (and I still am) living a very privileged life. However, because of my father's job in the military and my mother's involvement with politics before I was born, I like to believe I've always been more aware of the struggle that people in other countries go through. I moved to South Korea at the start of 8th grade and was enrolled in an international school where international events are always being discussed. This past Tuesday, I spent my entire History class talking about the Ukrainian crisis; in Spanish, we discussed the Venezuelan protests. For an American high school student, I thought I was remarkably well-versed in the events of the international community. However, after reading this, I realize how little I truly know about the Middle East and how much the information I receive is biased towards the American perspective. All I knew about Swat Valley was that it was another Taliban stronghold. I have Pakistani neighbors and I realize now that I know absolutely nothing about their country. And I am ashamed.
Malala's story opened my eyes to so much. I have the desire to go and help these girls and women in whatever capacity I can. Her bravery and her family's bravery is beautiful, but also incredibly sad. It should not be brave to attend school and to educate your daughter and other girls. But it is, and I hope that Malala sees her dream come true early on in her life. I also am incredibly impressed at how strong her faith is. I think having faith in something is a beautiful thing, but this book (as I'm sure countless others do as well) shows how dangerous faith can be as well. It shows how dangerous illiteracy can be and how powerful one girl (and one father) can be.