Reviews with content warning for War - I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban

I’ve contemplated reading this book ever since my mother told me about a Pakistani girl my age being shot in the head by the Taliban and, somehow, eking her way to a miraculous recovery. Through I Am Malala, the author reclaims her own story, providing a clarity and comprehensiveness untouched by the frantic news reports of the time. Part I is rather slow and tedious, as she painstakingly retraces her familial ancestry and the political history of the Swat Valley in Pakistan. Though this provides necessary context (and is important and impressive as a political chronicle), her habit of mentioning so many one-off players, as if out of compulsion to include their names and brief sketches of their stories, detracts from the focus and flow of her narrative. Once the Taliban come into the picture, in Part II, the book’s pace certainly picks up, becoming steadily more riveting throughout. Overall, I Am Malala is an impactful literary debut telling a very necessary story. The author’s age (15 years) is strikingly evident in the writing, and the plentiful passages about God’s greatness are a little much for me (one would have sufficed). I have to wonder how she would have written it differently – if at all – twelve years later.

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passionatereader78's review

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

5.0

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rhiannon814r's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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urfriendash's review

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

4.75

malala yousafzai started speaking out for girl's education when she was a young girl; in pakistan, early 2000's, the taliban started terrorizing her town and harming people who spoke against their beliefs. after malala started getting attention for advocating for girl's rights, the taliban attempted to take her life. after this event, malala had even more eyes on her while she stood up for girls rights.

i think this novel was phenomenal! it informs you on this very important issue of girls education, terrorism, and the taliban, while also being very intriguing and fast paced. if informational novels usually bore you, this one definitely wont!

one of my favorite parts about this book is how it tells you all about malalas life during the talibans terrorist attacks, but while it talks about that devastating topic, it cast a light on the good parts of her life during these struggles, like playing games with her friends after school, or watching ugly betty. another example is when malala reflects on her thoughts about her brush with death; while it is a terrible thing to happen, she writes that shes grateful to be alive and that the situation put so many eyes on her to advocate for the rights of women!

i would highly recommend this to anyone!! the topics malala discuss are very salient and i think everyone should give this book a chance.

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angeldevoursliterature's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

I want to clarify that my rating is solely for the book and not for Malala as a person.
The book covers Malala's life story in great detail, from her childhood to the time when her family stayed in Birmingham. However, I did face some issues with the writing, particularly with the way the political and historical accounts were intertwined with its personal reflections. Nevertheless, it was still worth reading, and her story is truly enlightening and inspiring. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an eye-opening read.

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coti_passadore's review

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.0

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