I am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai with Christina Lamb

from goodreads

3 stars

Today at our library there was a great children's entertainer, Erick Traplin. He really is awesome.

I decided to get there early so I could pick up a book that I had not put on hold but I knew was on the shelf. When I got there, 5 minutes after the library opened, the parking lot was almost full, and the tiny branch was filled to the gills. Totally not what I was expecting, but then it was Erick Traplin and so people wanted to get there early. Luckily the book I wanted to get hadn't been snatched up by the horde and then we were able to watch and listen and dance  to a great show.

If you ever have a chance to see Erick Traplin, he tours around Ontario, you totally should. Or download some of his songs. They are so much fun to dance to.

Synopsis

This book gives a brief history of Pakistan and the Swat Valley region. It also tells of a girl and her family who believe that education is the right of every person. The only way for positive changes in society is through educating ourselves. Ignorance breeds intolerance.

My Thoughts

I know I am probably the last person to finally read this book. Better late than never, right?

So what to say about it. Well...I loved her story. I loved finding out about her and her life. I liked seeing her thoughts and the support she had from her father and mother to really be an advocate and to follow her dreams. The things she has gone through, the dreams that she has, it is quite inspirational. If I was basing the book just on her and her family's story it would probably be a 5.

If I was judging the book as a whole, it was fine. Nothing too extraordinary. While it is helpful to get a historical background to why things are happening and how the taliban came to be in the Swat, it wasn't why I wanted to read the book. And, don't get me wrong. I love history. I majored in history. I think it is important to understand history so you can fully understand the present. But, I think there was too much of the history and less about Malala and what happened to her specifically. I could have read the last 100 pages and gotten what I wanted. I think people who pick this book up want to know about Malala and less about the history of Pakistan. Because of this the book dragged a bit and it was hard to know if it was Malala's voice I was getting or that of her co-author. Perhaps it was published too soon after the incident, as it does not include the work that she is now doing, and that would be interesting to read about.

I do think it is an important book to read. I do think that after reading it you get a better understanding about why Pakistan is the way it is and why foreign powers need to be really careful when they go in and try to enforce their views or prop up one regime. I also think that after reading this you will understand the importance of education for all, not just boys or girls but for everyone.

Malala's story is definitely one of inspiration and strength and how we can't give up our fundamental beliefs even when we are threatened. And that can be hard to do.