Review Me Twice: I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

Have you ever read a book, and when you're done, you just sort of put it down and go, "I know so much more about this topic than I did when I started reading this book"? That's what I did with this book. My strengths do not lie in politics or history or really even geography, so pretty much everything about the Middle East is a bit of a blur for me. I try to keep up, but I get easily confused and distracted and I don't retain the information well. But apparently all I needed was for a sixteen-year-old girl to explain it to me.

That's another thing I wanted to address, actually... Malala Yousafzai is sixteen years old. She has done more important things than I am likely to do in my lifetime. I know... "important" is subjective, etc. But she's brave and strong and... well, she got shot point-blank in the head by a member of the Taliban and then she wrote this book. That in and of itself should make you go, "Wow, she's awesome." And then you read the book, and you think, "Wow... she's really awesome." And that's obviously an understatement.

So not only is she a great writer, but she also has amazing stories to tell and important information to share. If you think (1) it's too long, (2) you don't like non-fiction or autobiographies, and/or (3) the book is overhyped... give it a chance anyway. It was really really good.

This book really makes you question what you're doing with your life.  Malala is 16 years old and she took a bullet in the head so that other girls in her country could have an education.  You know what I was doing at sixteen?  I'm pretty sure I was sitting on my couch playing video games.

Her story is incredibly inspiring and, honestly, way more insighful than I thought it would be.  You see what kind of things are really going on in Pakistan, and the roles of all the countries involved.  Here's a hint: Americans are not the heroes.  We're the people destroying her country with drones.  I don't want you to take from that, that she's an anti-american girl.  She's not.  She's just as angry with her own country for not doing anything about the invasion of the Taliban.  

Malala focuses on why girls need education, why EVERYONE deserves an education.  She lets you see the positive side of her religion, the way her religion is for the people who aren't terrorist, who really follow the word and spirit of the Quran.  I really liked that part because so often Islam gets distorted by the terrorists.

I also liked that, at the end of the day, there were still so many instances she was a 16 year old girl.  Her favorite color is pink and often dresses in it.  She likes to follow trends and brush her hair and argue with her best girlfriend. 

She's an amazing girl, with an amazing story and she is simply just inspiring.  I recommend this book incredibly and I think it's a great way to start off our new year of reviews.

Interviews with Malala Yousafzai

Don't get too excited... we didn't get to interview Malala Yousafzai. Can you even imagine? We wish. No, this is a collection of videos of interviews with her, because I think she's not only an incredible writer but also an incredible speaker, particularly in interviews. If you have problems with public speaking, take note: Malala interviews well in English (her third language), after being shot in the head (by a group that still wants to assassinate her and her father), about topics that are controversial in her home country, in front of the world with some of the best interviewers on television. Oh yeah... and she's only sixteen.

This is an interview with Malala from 2009, when she was 11 years old (and had not yet been shot).

This is one from The Guardian, the first interview after she was shot.

Here is my personal favorite: the interview with Jon Stewart on "The Daily Show" (the extended version).

And here's one from the BBC.

And here's Diane Sawyer's interview with Malala.

Of course there's overlap in the content, so it might not be necessary to watch them all, but at least watch a couple. She's a bright, brave girl with a lot of important things to say who can say them very well. Her aspirations at the time of writing her book were to be a journalist or a politician, and I think she would be incredible at both.

Malala Yousafzai

I didn't want to write "author bio" this week for Malala Yousafzai, because while, ok yes, she's an author, she is so much more than that.  So this is just her bio for being awesome.

Malala was born in Swat valley and, until recently, had lived there all of her life with her family.  She lived under the Taliban for most of her existence, but her father was incredibly pro-education for women, something that's very rare in Pakistan, especially in her village.

When Malala was 11 to 12 years old, she began to write a blog, detailing her life under the Taliban rule and the things that went on.  She spoke out for education for girls, attesting that education is the most important thing that a girl could have.  While the blog she started was under a pseudonym, she began to do interviews and television appearances, including a documentary done by the NY Times on her life.

When Malala was just 16, she was shot in the head on her way to school.  She survived the attack, and as a result, the entire world rallied behind her.  People were pushing for education for girls, she spoke at the UN and she was even the youngest person to ever be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.  She has started the Malala Foundation to help girls in her country gain an education.

Basically, she's the bravest most awesome person ever.  Despite being close to death, she still speaks out for what she believes in.  She sweet and forgiving person and wants nothing but peace.