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I Am Malala

the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban
Mar 22, 2018
"I Am Malala" is one of the most inspirational and riveting books out there that explores the depth of the struggles of certain south Asian countries due to the militant Taliban. Most people on this side of the world realize that organizations like ISIS, Al-Queda, and the Taliban exist, but give no thought about them for their trivial "first world problems" are more important than the suffering women and men in Pakistan and Afganistan under the iron fist of the Taliban. The American people, currently, seem to be passing through a "gilded age" when foreign policy is concerned for most are unaware of the atrocities that happen around the world because they care about the current administration's tax cuts and exaggerate its impact. Tax cuts are a very controversial topic and do concern us, but what I am afraid of is that people will not realize what goes on around the globe and how fortunate we are to be where we are in the world; this curtain of ignorance makes them oblivious to problems faced by underprivileged peoples on this green earth which we proclaim has secured all basic human rights like the freedom to a roof over one's head, to food and water, to religion, to speech, and to education. The book has various reasons for being as heart-wrenching and persuasive as it is. First and foremost, "I Am Malala" is so powerful and influential because it is a narrative of a girl who was more politically active when she was eleven than we will ever be in all our lives. This can make the reader feel guilty for not taking any action. I sure did. It is also very dynamic because Malala describes her life before the Taliban took over her hometown of Mingora in the vast valley of Swat, which demonstrates to the world how normal, free, and un-terrorist like most Pakistanis are. This is most terribly important for there are, to my surprise, people out there that believe that all brown people are terrorists. Her account of her childhood reverses this stereotype which is essential for someone to proceed to feel empathy for the oppressed peoples which forces them to take action. Once she skillfully introduces the reader to the barbarity of the Taliban and the horrific net of conformity that had been cast over the people of Swat, she progresses to describe in excruciating detail her being shot, which is very powerful, for she is an innocent sixteen-year-old girl being shot for demanding something as basic as the freedom to interpret the Quran by herself, a necessary part of practicing religion for every Muslim, which requires education that is being denied to so many. In the end, she persuades the reader that education is as important as any other right. The narrative exudes an underlying theme that helps the reader realize that one voice can change everything, or at the very least set things in motion on the right path. I consider this to be a very important lesson to today's youth especially because most have developed a mentality of "my voice is insignificant and it is not going to change the way things are if I take action or not." Overall, a very moving story that has been very talentedly written. I recommend this book to every literate person in every corner of the globe. Rating: 100/10