Book of the Week–I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
Malala Yousafzai was born into a Sunni Muslim family in Pakistan's Swat Valley. Her father Ziauddin is a poet and educational activist who runs a chain of schools. In 2008, he was asked by the BBC to locate a schoolgirl willing to blog annoymously about her life. Although another child originally volunteered, her paren'ts were fearful of Taliban reprisals, so Malala who was 11 years old stepped in. Her blog appeared between January and March 2009. In it she writes about life under Taliban rule and about the restrictions on girls' education.
She was later featured in a New York Times documentary and as she became a public figure, she also began receiving death threats. On October 12, 2012, she was shot in the head during an assassination attempt. After her recovery, she has vowed to continue fighting for the rights of all children to be educated.
I am Malala: the Girl who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban was released in October. A large print edition is also available.
One thought on “Book of the Week–I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai”
Her book and her life is an inspiration to us all. It has just been banned in private schools in Pakistan, which shows just how much courage she has to do what she has done.