By:
A MEMOIR BY THE YOUNGEST RECIPIENT OF THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
“I come from a country that was created at midnight. When I almost died it was just after midday.”
When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education.
On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, when she was fifteen, she almost paid the ultimate price. She was shot in the head at point-blank range while riding the bus home from school, and few expected her to survive.
Instead, Malala’s miraculous recovery has taken her on an extraordinary journey from a remote valley in northern Pakistan to the halls of the United Nations in New York. At sixteen, she became a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest nominee ever for the Nobel Peace Prize.
I AM MALALA is the remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls’ education, of a father who, himself a school owner, championed and encouraged his daughter to write and attend school, and of brave parents who have a fierce love for their daughter in a society that prizes sons.
I AM MALALA will make you believe in the power of one person’s voice to inspire change in the world.
Review
“The touching story will not only inform you of changing conditions in Pakistan, but inspire your rebellious spirit.” (Matthew Love, Time Out New York)
“Ms. Yousafzai has single-handedly turned the issue of the right of girls–and all children–to be educated into headline news. And she is a figure worth hearing.” (Isabel Berwick, Financial Times)
“Wise beyond her years….” (Annie Gowen, Marie Claire)
“Riveting…. Co-written with Christina Lamb, a veteran British journalist who has an evident passion for Pakistan and can render its complicated history with pristine clarity, this is a book that should be read not only for its vivid drama but for its urgent message about the untapped power of girls…. It is difficult to imagine a chronicle of a war more moving, apart from perhaps the diary of Anne Frank. With the essential difference that we lost that girl, and by some miracle, we still have this one.” (Marie Arana, Washington Post)
“Remarkable…a must-read, first-person account of her journey through global terrorism, her brave, encouraging parents, and her own fight for girls’ education.” (MarieClaire.com)
“The victory of Malala Yousafzai is that she’s just getting started.” (Mary Elizabeth Williams, Salon)
“Briskly written but full of arresting detail…. Striking [and] surprising…” (Jill Lawless, Associated Press)
“Ms. Yousafzai’s stature as a symbol of peace and bravery has been established across the world…” (Salman Masood, The New York Times)
“Not only has Malala Yousafzai become an international symbol of inspiration and bravery, but her survival instilled educators with courage-and is slowly helping make Pakistani schools safer.” (Nick Schifrin, ABC.com)
“For a teenage girl in a distant corner of the globe to spark life into this movement-against overwhelming odds-is truly extraordinary. The world must not allow Malala’s message to die.” (Dallas Morning News)
“Her powerful message remains undiluted.” (Tina Jordan, Entertainment Weekly)
“In simple, clear writing, I AM MALALA gives a rare and moving first-person glance into what it’s like to be a teenager in a country seized by extremists who stand against the basic freedoms you believe in.” (Krystin Arneson, Bustle).