"I Am Malala" by Malala Yousafzai - Islington Branch Book Club - Past Titles

About the Author: Malala Yousafzai

Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest Nobel Prize laureate. She was born on July 12, 1997, in Mingora, Swat Valley, Pakistan. Malala grew up in a family that valued education, and her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, was an educational advocate who ran a chain of schools in the region.

In 2009, when Malala was just 11 years old, the Taliban gained control of Swat Valley and imposed strict restrictions on girls' education. Malala began to speak out against the Taliban's actions, advocating for girls' rights to education through a blog for the BBC Urdu service under a pseudonym. Her courage and determination to continue her education despite the Taliban's threats gained international attention.

Tragically, in October 2012, Malala was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman while traveling home from school. She survived the attack after receiving medical treatment in Pakistan and later in the United Kingdom. The assassination attempt sparked global outrage and support for Malala's cause.

Following her recovery, Malala became even more vocal in her advocacy for girls' education. She co-authored the memoir "I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban," which details her experiences growing up under Taliban rule and her determination to continue her education.

Malala's activism garnered widespread recognition, and in 2013, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, becoming the youngest-ever Nobel laureate at the age of 17. She used the platform provided by the Nobel Prize to continue her advocacy work, founding the Malala Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring every girl receives 12 years of free, safe, and quality education.

Since receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, Malala has continued to speak out on the importance of education and the rights of girls and women worldwide. She has become an influential voice for social change, delivering speeches at various international forums and using her platform to advocate for gender equality and human rights.

Malala's activism has earned her numerous accolades and honors, including honorary citizenship from Canada, an honorary doctorate from the University of Ottawa, and recognition on TIME magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world. She continues to inspire people around the globe with her courage, resilience, and dedication to creating a better world through education and empowerment.

Synopsis

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.

Discussion Questions

Malala's story is one of incredible courage and resilience in the face of adversity. How did her upbringing and the cultural context of Swat Valley shape her identity and worldview?
Discuss the role of education in Malala's life and activism. How does she perceive the power of education to bring about change, particularly in the context of advocating for girls' rights to education?
Malala's relationship with her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, is central to the narrative. How does their bond influence Malala's values, beliefs, and actions? How does Ziauddin's own activism and dedication to education inspire Malala?
Explore Malala's experiences under Taliban rule and the impact of their extremist ideology on her community. How does she resist and speak out against oppression, even at great personal risk?
Discuss Malala's global activism for girls' education and her role as a spokesperson for the rights of children worldwide. How does she leverage her platform to amplify the voices of marginalized communities?
Reflect on Malala's recovery and rehabilitation following the attack on her life. How does she draw strength from her faith, family, and the support of others during her journey toward physical and emotional healing?
Consider the themes of identity and belonging in "I Am Malala." How does Malala navigate her identity as a Pashtun, a Pakistani, and a Muslim in the context of her advocacy for girls' education and human rights?
Malala emphasizes the importance of empathy and compassion in creating positive change. How does she promote understanding and dialogue across cultural, religious, and political divides?
Discuss the impact of Malala's memoir on global conversations about education, gender equality, and human rights. How does her personal story inspire readers to take action and stand up for justice?
Reflect on the significance of Malala's Nobel Peace Prize and her ongoing efforts to promote education and empower young people. How has she continued to advocate for social change since the publication of "I Am Malala"?

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Half the Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof; Sheryl WuDunn
Call Number: 362.83 Kristof
Drawing on the breadth of their combined reporting experience, Kristof and WuDunn depict our world with anger, sadness, clarity, and, ultimately, hope. They show how a little help can transform the lives of women and girls abroad. That Cambodian girl eventually escaped from her brothel and, with assistance from an aid group, built a thriving retail business that supports her family. The Ethiopian woman had her injuries repaired and in time became a surgeon. A Zimbabwean mother of five, counseled to return to school, earned her doctorate and became an expert on AIDS. Through these stories, Kristof and WuDunn help us see that the key to economic progress lies in unleashing women's potential. They make clear how so many people have helped to do just that, and how we can each do our part. Throughout much of the world, the greatest unexploited economic resource is the female half of the population. Countries such as China have prospered precisely because they emancipated women and brought them into the formal economy. Unleashing that process globally is not only the right thing to do; it's also the best strategy for fighting poverty. Deeply felt, pragmatic, and inspirational, Half the Sky is essential reading for every global citizen.
I Should Have Honor by Khalida Brohi
Call Number: BIOGRAPHY Brohi
From a young age, Khalida Brohi was raised to believe in the sanctity of arranged marriage. Her mother was forced to marry a thirteen-year-old boy when she was only ni≠ Khalida herself was promised as a bride before she was even born. But her father refused to let her become a child bride. He was a man who believed in education, not just for himself but for his daughters, and Khalida grew up thinking she would become the first female doctor in her small village. Khalida thought her life was proceeding on an unusual track for a woman of her circumstances, but one whose path was orderly and straightforward. Everything shifted for Khalida when she found out that her beloved cousin had been murdered by her uncle in a tradition known as "honor killing." Her cousin's crime? She had fallen in love with a man who was not her betrothed. This moment ignited the spark in Khalida Brohi that inspired a globe-spanning career as an activist, beginning at the age of sixteen. From a tiny cement-roofed room in Karachi where she was allowed ten minutes of computer use per day, Brohi started a Facebook campaign that went viral. From there, she created a foundation focused on empowering the lives of women in rural communities through education and employment opportunities, while crucially working to change the minds of their male partners, fathers, and brothers. This book is the story of how Brohi, while only a girl herself, shone her light on the women and girls of Pakistan, despite the hurdles and threats she faced along the way. And ultimately, she learned that the only way to eradicate the parts of a culture she despised was to fully embrace the parts of it that she loved.
The Man He Became by James Tobin
Call Number: BIOGRAPHY Roosevelt
In 1921, at the age of thirty-nine, Roosevelt was the brightest young star in the Democratic Party. One day he was racing his children around their summer home. Two days later he could not stand up. Hopes of a quick recovery faded fast. "He's through," said allies and enemies alike. Even his family and close friends misjudged their man, as they and the nation would learn in time. With a painstaking reexamination of original documents, James Tobin uncovers the twisted chain of accidents that left FDR paralyzed; he reveals how polio recast Roosevelt's fateful partnership with his wife, Eleanor; and he shows that FDR's true victory was not over paralysis but over the ancient stigma attached to the crippled. Tobin also explodes the conventional wisdom of recent years--that FDR deceived the public about his condition. In fact, Roosevelt and his chief aide, Louis Howe, understood that only by displaying himself as a man who had come back from a knockout punch could FDR erase the perception that had followed him from childhood--that he was a pampered, too smooth pretty boy without the strength to lead the nation. As Tobin persuasively argues, FDR became president less in spite of polio than because of polio. The Man He Became affirms that true character emerges only in crisis and that in the shaping of this great American leader character was all.
Let Her Fly by Malala Yousafzai (Foreword by); Louise Carpenter (As told to); Ziauddin Yousafzai
Call Number: BIOGRAPHY YUSAFZAI
Let Her Fly traces the inspirational journey of Malala Yousafzai's father, Ziauddin, from a boy in Shangla to a man who broke with tradition and proves there are many faces of feminism. With humor and sincerity, Yousafzai describes his life before the Talibanization of Mingora, scenes of his sons Khusal and Atal fighting kites on the roof, his progressive partnership with his wife Toor Pekai, and the challenge of raising children in an unfamiliar country. After Malala was shot by the Taliban, the Yousafzai family was completely uprooted from their home in the Swat Valley and forced to start over in the United Kingdom. Now, Ziauddin expresses the complex pain and joy of his return, six years later, to the site of Malala's attack. Let Her Fly is an intimate family portrait by the father of one of the most remarkable leaders in the world today. Ziauddin and Toor Pakai have set a singular example for parents who hope to empower their children to make a difference. Let Her Fly will resonate with anyone who has ever cared for a child, as Ziauddin Yousafzai shares what he's learned from his children, and what he hopes to teach the world.
Malala by Terry Barber
Call Number: LIT BIO Y88 .BA
Malala is specifically written to meet the needs of adolescents and adults who are reluctant readers. The photographs, maps, and illustrations reflect the text, making the words easy to decode. This high-interest, low-vocabulary biography is ideal for English as a Second Language (ESL) or adult basic education students. Malala was lucky. Her parents knew the value of an education for both boys and girls, so Malala was sent to school and excelled. Today, Malala is known world-wide as the young Pakistani girl who bravely spoke up in support of female education. In spite of a near-fatal attack by a Taliban supporter who shot her in the head, Malala continues to be a determined voice for young girls striving to get an education. In 2014, at the age of 17, Malala was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the youngest person ever to achieve the prestigious award.