Review: I Am Malala inspires everyone

The heartwarming tale of Malala’s incredible strength and courage

Rachael Jaeger
Staff Writer

When you are a non-traditional student who lives an hour away, you appreciate when you have access to an audiobook copy of a book you have wanted to read for a year.

When the narrator’s voice intrigues you to the point it holds you captive so you can stay awake during the drive home, you know that the book is worth it.

Malala read the Prologue of her book “I Am Malala” but after the prologue, another narrator, Christina Lamb took over. But Lamb’s accent was enough that it could still put me in Malala’s shoes and picture her country as she talked about it. Lamb also read with such ease and clarity that when I arrived home, I wanted to listen more rather than give into the sleep I need.

Even just as much, if not more, I appreciated discovering that people from other countries have similar views of the world like you. Sometimes you tend to get stuck in your own head that you do not see other people around you, let alone those from another country and when you don’t live there. Also, when you have a certain idea of how a country runs in your head, sometimes it overshadows what is real.

What is true about women in Pakistan is that most of the men do receive an education because of expectations in society. The society values—or maybe undervalues—women as taking care of their husbands and their children only rather than having careers, something that is still prominent in our country, depending on the region. The Pakistan society holds sons in the highest esteem but even though Malala was the firstborn and a girl, both her parents never wavered in their pride of her.

When the women did have an opportunity to pursue education, society expected them to only fulfill certain roles with the doctor being the most popular. Malala, however, wanted to be a journalist and as I learned about her and the different classics she read, she sure did have a thirst for knowledge. She had a comment on “The Secret” that I found rang with truth, in what she said that those who believed in a positive spirit that you could get whatever you want, had not encountered the sufferings her society did for education.

What is most striking is Malala’s healthy balance between belief in herself but also the reality of the world, and between that balance, a fierce determination and will for success. Her faith is one of the underlying factors, aside from her family, especially her father who expressed his pride in her brain. So, when Malala was shot in the head, he was afraid her brain would never work the same again and became emotional about it. I liked how he freely showed how he felt, regardless of what others thought. Men in our own society still hesitate to let their emotions loose in positive ways and that is something that I believe some could learn from Malala’s father.

Emotions add to your strength, rather than subtract from it. Malala used hers for social justice, to shine a light as a hope for girls who could take a step towards finding their own path.

Overall, what stood out most to me is Malala’s determination to help other girls acquire education, despite that the Taliban had shot her in the head. Her Muslim faith also shone through in the book, especially in her gratitude to God who she believed was watching over her. She also mentioned she had gained an appreciation for her love of learning after the Taliban stripped the freedoms of having a school and access to television, music, and DVDs. Her family had to flee their town when they heard Taliban were coming and when Malala’s family returned home, she was relieved when she had found the school books she had hidden.

Near the end of “I Am Malala,” Malala used The Wizard of Oz to help pass time when she recovered from her shot and as a means for her brain to stay engaged. She noted how obstacles will always get in the way of your goals but if your goals matter, you will push through whatever unexpected trials trip you up. For Malala, she kept her focus on social rights for women’s education and that helped her through.