"I Am Malala"

I just finished the young readers edition of "I Am Malala" by Malala Yousafzai (with Patricia McCormick).  Of course, I've heard of this young girl from Pakistan who was targeted by the Taliban because she dared to speak out in favor of education for girls starting at age 10.  She survived being shot in the head and several surgeries to continue to be a spokeswoman for peace and every child's right to education.

What I wasn't prepared for was the maturity, wisdom, and courage of this teenager which shines through in her story.  "She is the youngest person ever nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize and she has received numerous other awards, including the International Children's Peace Prize (2013), the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, and the Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award."

After she was shot Malala was taken to a hospital in Pakistan where fortunately some visiting English doctors treated her and made the determination that it was critical to go to England for her best chances of survival.   Since she and her father had traveled internationally, she had a passport but the rest of her family did not.  Her father had also been targeted by the Taliban and did not want to leave his wife and two sons behind in Pakistan so he made a female doctor Malala's guardian.  When the family had secured passports, they all joined her in Birmingham where the family still resides.

Malala set up the Malala Fund with the help of Shiza Shahid and together they work to campaign for education for everyone.  Malala Yousafzai is a blogger with a FB page and there is also a FB page for the Malala Fund, a non-profit organization.  It states "The Malala Fund is focused on helping girls go to school and raise their voices for the right to education."  http://malala.org/  The book cites the link malalafund.org to this nonprofit that "invests in community-led programs and supports education advocates around the world."

Sometimes I take a little longer reading a biography but I finished this one in two days around my duties at home and at work.  I highly recommend it!  pazt