After going through a bit of Pakistan history (for political and cultural perspective), some family background before she was born and her early childhood in Pakistan - one of humble upbringing in the Pashtun Swat valley, Malala’s tale which crescendos to her near-death experience truly takes life when the Taliban got to Swat. From that moment it’s hard to put the book down. The arrival of the taliban is initially greeted with a little bit of skepticism in some quarters but for the vast majority of the people, a measure of sympathy, allegiance and even admiration. Malala describes how they were first regarded widely as custodians of sorts of the way Islam should be practised, good interpreters of the Holy Quran. Also, for a people weary of their corrupt government, the taliban’s proposition of a simpler justice system, amongst other promises, was a cherry on the cake.

Things however begin to take a different turn with the rapid introduction of several edicts - strict restrictions on what women could do, where they could go; banning of movies, music, dancing and even stopping vaccinations in the name of sharia. But it’s when they turn their attention to education (especially female education) and begin to commit mass murders that Malala and her dad (himself a school proprietor) with a few lone voices are forced to begin their campaign against the Taliban. The pulse of the book builds up and plateaus when the Taliban attacks her, as she fights for her life and is eventually flown out of pakistan for further treatment. She ends the story by describing her slow road to recovery and her resolve to keep speaking up for the voiceless and a firm determination to ensure that no child is deprived of their fundamental right to education.

Here are a few of my thoughts on it. One, I consider it to contain a very decent treatise on the complexity of religious extremism. You can begin to understand what the probable origin(s) of this global scourge is(are) as well as the factors that continue to fuel it (ignorance being not the least of them). This proves helpful in societies that a relatively new to terrorism (like Nigeria) and where it’s motive has been prone to all sorts of interpretations. It goes without saying that an understanding of the fundamental causes is an integral part of the path to finding a solution.

Secondly, no other book has ever made me so fully immersed in what it must be like to live “in” terrorism. Of course you can never truly know what it’s like but Malala’s vivid description of how their lives were transformed from simple yet peaceful to chaos and fear comes close. It’s even more touching because it is told by a young teenage girl. Not just because of the obvious vulnerability of someone so young but because this is someone in a gender and age bracket which is arguably the most targeted by the extremists. I wish more people would tell their stories. Maybe it’d help bring the problem closer home.

See concluding part from the source: http://www.orinocopulse.com/i-am-malala/
Thanks!!

Hmm, nice.

borntosave:
Hmm, nice.

Thanks! I'm glad you like it.

Y'all don't forget to get the book too! It's very eye-opening and inspiring!

Orinocopulse!