I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban tells the story of Malala Yousafzai, a young activist who almost died because of her advocacy of girls’ education. It takes you on a journey through many key events of Malala’s young life, particularly ones that relate to her activism, and tells the harrowing tale of her near-death experience when she was shot by a member of the Taliban. I was on the edge of my seat as I read the account of the attack and the many surgeries and the healing process that took place afterward. She gave great detail and I felt like I was right there with her and her family in that terrifying experience.

Malala and her co-author, Christina Lamb, do a marvelous job showing what Malala’s day-to-day life was like before and after the attack. Malala’s writing is very genuine. I could sense the sincere longing for home that Malala has felt since the attack has taken place. Her descriptions of family and friends were vivid and I almost felt like I knew these people myself. The stories she shared about her culture and home life were interesting and eye-opening. It helped me get to know Malala better as a person.

I also enjoyed the fact that she shared historical stories about her native country and provided some commentary on it. I personally don’t know much about that area of the world, so it was interesting to learn more about their history and to hear her interpretation of the events that had taken place.

If I had any criticism to offer in regards toward this book, it would be that I felt that it was a little jumbled and poorly pieced together. It read like a diary in a way; at one point she would be relating a story about her childhood, then she would suddenly switch to a historical account of her people, then she would talk about the present day, and so on. Perhaps that’s just her personal style and it isn’t my taste, but I really didn’t like the way she switched subjects so often and so rapidly.

Overall, I very much enjoyed reading I Am Malala. I liked hearing her perspective on the shooting, I loved hearing about her advocacy of girls’ education, and it was fun to learn more about her life and her nation and culture. This is a book I would recommend to anyone who is interested in Malala Yousafzai and her story.

Note: I wrote this review using a copy of the book I borrowed from the library.

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