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

This book was fascinating, and I am in awe of Malala's spirit, faith, and drive. My major issue with it, however, is that I can see - very clearly - that Christina Lamb collaborated on this. It reads, at many times, like a history of Pakistan (specifically a history of Pakistani relations with the West). It feels as though information about Malala, her family, and her experience are tossed in here and there, rather than the other way around. I realize that some of that is so Western readers have context, but I think it went into a distracting amount of detail. I would love to read something Malala has written on her own, without a hovering need to make Westerners understand every bit of it via overexplanation.

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saadamansayyed's review

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

A poignant exploration of her fight for women's education, culminating in her October 2012 shooting in a school bus, and the traumatic aftermath that followed. Malala's memoir is unabashedly Malala in its spirit — full of honesty and youthful optimism. This updated version includes an update preface and an interview in the appendices.

While people may have different personal opinions about Yousafzai, one thing is clear — her courage and her determination for her purpose is worthy of being inspired of. In spite of all that was done to her and said to her, Malala used her voice for the cause of peace and education.

The book takee us all the way back to 1969, when Ziauddin Yousfazai, Malala's father, school owner, educational activist and her greatest mentor, was born in Shangla. Chronicling her father's early days followed by her (then seventeen-year) life, the book takes you to the beautiful lands of Swat, once known for their magnificence and which were turned into terrible places to be by the miltiant violence in the area.

The book uses simple language to tackle difficult subjects, doing so with maddening elegance and a sense of honesty. The book needs some work on pacing, but when was real life paced perfectly?

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tiastravels's review

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challenging emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

3.75

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pulita's review against another edition

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4.0

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allieslay's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

4.0

i loved this book.it was a gift from a family member, the story is so inspiring and i am glad i read it when i was younger. it is eye opening to learn about different cultures and their treatment of women. malala is a brave woman and her story definitely shaped my life today.

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andrikkk's review

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

2.5

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mariareviews's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

Malala tiene un alma muy linda y es en definitiva alguien a quien admirar. Con tan solo diez años ya aspiraba a cambiar el mundo que la rodeaba… espero esté viviendo una vida pacífica rodeada de quienes la aman.
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Malala is a beautiful soul and truly someone to admire. Barely 10 years old and aspiring to change the world around her… hope she lives a peaceful life surrounded those who love her.

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