Malala Yousafzai is an inspiration for all. Whether or not one is passionate about women’s education, Malala’s strength and compassion can not be debated by any. This is not bias or opinion. Malala is powerful. Some love her for it and some hate her for it. She was hated so much by the Taliban that they decided to put a bullet in her head. I Am Malala follows the teen’s extraordinary life and how she was shot for saying girls should go to school.

Before I read this book I was disinterested in what was going on in the Middle East. When I heard the words Israel or Afghanistan, my mind pictured an arid land with explosions going on everywhere. I cannot deny that this is true. I was generalizing, but I was not basing my views on false accusations. However, what I Am Malala did for me was not only change my opinion about an entire region, but become completely passionate about it.
In her memoir, Malala writes “For most Pashtuns it’s a gloomy day when a daughter is born” (15). I cannot relate to this one bit. The only thing I could do was sympathize. Malala tells the reader that her mother was afraid to tell her husband that she had given birth to a girl; she was ashamed. It must be noted that the Muslim culture is mostly male-oriented. Where Malala draws the line at discrimination, however, is the denial of women’s education.

Malala flat out says that the terrorists do not follow the Quran. She writes “‘They are abusing our religion…’” (112). She completely refutes the idea that all Muslims are connected to terrorism. What she says about her religion was enlightening to me. I never knew before what exactly what the Quran preached. Malala taught me.
One of my favorite things about Malala is her love for God. All throughout her memoir she relates her experiences to God. She says everything happened to her because He wanted it that way. Even after being shot in the face, Malala writes “We human beings don’t realize how great God is” (300). She talks about how blessed she is, from having two lips to talk with, two eyes to see with, and so on.

I think Malala’s writing is beautiful. Take her quote about being blessed with eyes, for example. She does not just say that she is glad she can see; she writes “He has blessed us with...two eyes which see a world of colors and beauty…” (300). She always writes with positivity and goodness. She is just given two ears to hear with, she is given “...two ears to hear the words of love” (300). It is quotes like these that made me feel completely enchanted with her words.

I have not been so moved by a book in such a long time. This memoir goes on the list of my top five favorite books, and that is really saying something. When I heard Malala’s story in tenth grade, I could not believe what I was hearing. I later said she was my role-model. However, now, after reading her book, I have never felt more inspired by Malala.

In the very beginning of the book, readers are given a good insight into the world Malala was born into. She writes “I was a girl in a land where rifles are fired in celebration of a son, while daughters are hidden away behind a curtain, their role in life simply to prepare food and give birth to children” (13). However, she persevered and spoke out for the women who were not allowed to have a voice. She was never afraid. She was never angry. Even after everything that happened to her, she is filled only with love. That to me is amazing. There is no other word to describe it.

I had trouble picking out quotes for this review; all of them are so incredibly beautiful. I wish I could have included them all. Every single page had at least one sentence that I wanted to underline so that I could go back to it. Malala was not only blessed with life, but she was blessed with the use of words. While telling the reader about her UN speech (which was fantastic as well), Malala recalls “‘Let us pick up our books and our pens,’ I said. ‘They are our most powerful weapons. One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world” (310).

Malala was named after a woman named Malalai of Maiwand, an Afghanistani woman who rallied the troops to fight against the British. She used her voice to get others into action, and she was killed on the battlefield. In the documentary He Named Me Malala, an interviewer comments to Malala’s father that it seemed he knew she was destined for greatness when he named her. He nodded with tears in his eyes. Regardless of what a reader might believe, this book makes him/her wonder if there really is a greater power. It seems like it to me in Malala’s case.
After I finished this book, I knew I would read it again. I knew I wanted to purchase it and have it on my bookshelf (I rarely ever purchase books). I knew that I would never think of education the same way again. I knew that Malala had changed me forever. She writes, “Education is neither Eastern nor Western. It is human” (135). Malala will always be an inspiration of mine, and I shall not forget her story.