I Am Malala

I listened to I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up For Education And Was Shot By The Taliban  by Malala Yousafzai.  Malala is 17 now and she wrote an autobiography. She had help from a cowriter.  I had heard about Malala.  I believe she and another girl were given the latest Nobel Prize for Peace.  What I didn't know was that Malala was a well known advocate for education before she was shot.  She had won prizes and received national recognition for her efforts prior to the attack on her life where a bullet went into her left eye socket and came to rest in her shoulder.  She was strongly influenced by her father who ran a school for boys and girls.  When the Taliban entered her valley in Pakistan, girls were encouraged to stay home from school, to wear the burqa, and to stay home.  Malala's father didn't agree with that and kept his school open for both boys and girls.  He tried to compromise by building a separate entrance for each gender but the Taliban were not satisfied.  Malala herself read the prologue to the book and it was so fascinating to hear her little voice I listened to that part twice.  She writes very fondly of Pakistan and the beautiful Swat valley.  She writes honestly about her faults.  She is stubborn and selfish and argumentative at times.  Malala is not a saint.  But she is a strong advocate for female education.  Right now she is still recovering and living in England. She hopes to get back to Pakistan some day.  Just yesterday I read an article about her in the newspaper.  Some people in Pakistan claim she wasn't shot by the Taliban but always wanted to emigrate to England.  A group of educators claim she is a supporter of Salmon Rushdie.  She does mention Rushdie in her book.  She mentions that any religion ought to be strong enough to survive a book that is critical.  This group of educators is holding an "I am not Malala Day."  Malala said in her book that the people of Pakistan are prone to believing in conspiracy theories.  I guess they have proven her right.  Malala wrote a fascinating book.