BY KRISTIN CLARKE
In this compelling memoir by “the girl who stood up for education and was shot by the Taliban,” 16-year-old Malala Yousafzai from Pakistan’s Swat Valley opens a window into the impoverished area of inequity and instability where religious extremists attacked her on a school bus in October 2012.
Instead of withdrawing, though, the well-spoken teenager founded her own education nonprofit, the Malala Fund, and shared her enthusiasm for learning with millions of supporters and world leaders, becoming the youngest person ever nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
In I Am Malala, Yousafzai does not dwell on the rebuilding of her shattered skull and bright smile or the man who shot her. Instead, hers is a story—beautifully told with the help of international journalist Christina Lamb—of a smart girl of strong faith who is encouraged by a father extraordinary for his own courage, sacrifices, and determination to ensure education for all children as an exit from poverty.
Research shows that educating girls is the most effective way to resolve issues like poverty and overpopulation. It’s exciting to observe how Yousafzai has become the unexpected voice of that global movement, one kin to millions of girls eager for school but living where females are assigned little social value. Leaders of any age and gender can learn from this teenager.
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