I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World (Young Readers Edition)

“The sights and sounds in their world were different.”

Malala is more interested in listening to her father and his friends’ political conversations than to women’s talk, revealing her curiosity and interest in the world outside Mingora. That her father allows her to join the men’s discussions shows both his indulgent love of Malala and his acceptance of women’s intellectual and cultural equality—making him a rarity in the patriarchal Pashtun culture.

“The school was my world, and my world was the school.” 

Education is in Malala’s blood. The daughter of a teacher, she learns its importance at an early age. Malala thrives on learning and takes pride in her academic achievements—and in earning her father’s praise.

“Because inside the Khushal School, we flew on wings of knowledge.”

The Khushal School offers freedom to Malala and other girls. Outside school, they are restricted by their gender in where they can go, whom they can see, what they can do and wear, and what their futures will be. Inside school, their minds are free.

“Then he quoted a proverb: ‘Coming events cast their shadows before.’” 

Malala’s father warns his friends that the influence of the Radio Mullah is a sign that the Taliban will soon come to Swat, much as someone’s shadow appears on the ground before the person casting it arrives.

“To be afraid is no solution.” 

Though frightened for her husband, Malala’s mother urges him to speak out against the Taliban. She realizes that silence and fear will not accomplish change.

“All I want to do is go to school. And that is not a crime. That is my right.” 

Here, Malala articulates two beliefs: First, that education is an intrinsic right, and second, that education itself is not “un-Islamic.” She suggests that it is the Taliban’s extreme interpretation of Islam that criminalizes school for girls.

“In a country where so many people consider it a waste to send girls to school, it is a teacher who helps you believe in your dreams.”

Malala dedicates her memoir in part to “those teachers who bravely continue teaching.” Teachers like Miss Maryam inspire confidence and self-worth in their pupils and equip them for the future.

“Terrorism is fear all around you.” 

Malala feels that terror differs from war because its violence is enacted not just between soldiers, but against regular citizens. The true terror is not knowing when or where violence may occur. The tension and fear Malala and her family experience alter their lives.

“I knew in that instant that it wasn’t me, Malala speaking; my voice was the voice of so many others who wanted to speak but couldn’t.” 

Using one’s voice and speaking out against injustice is a powerful motif in Malala’s narrative. She becomes the speaker for those she is trying to help. Her voice creates social change.

“Falsehood has to die […] And truth has to come forward.” 

Malala’s mother quotes the Quran in support of her husband and daughter’s speaking out to the BBC. This quote illustrates the conflict within interpretations of Islam. A devout Muslim, Malala’s mother nonetheless believes that the Taliban’s use of Islam to forcefully gain power and control people is wrong.

“Many people in Swat saw danger everywhere they looked. But our family didn’t look at life that way. We saw possibility. And we felt a responsibility to stand up for our homeland.” 

The Yousafzai family shows their courage in the face of terror by refusing to give in to fear and deciding instead to fight against the Taliban’s tyranny. Their family history goes back centuries, and they share a deep connection to the land and the Pashtun people.

“And proud to show my identity.”

Malala shows her independence and self-assurance by refusing to veil herself on a TV interview. Her willingness to show her face stands in marked contrast to the Taliban, who wear masks. She is proud of herself, and her mission. By revealing her face, however, Malala boldly risks identification by the Taliban.

“First the people of Swat fall under the spell of the Taliban, then they are killed by the Taliban, and now they are blamed for the Taliban!” 

Malala’s father voices his frustration with the Pakistani army and the Taliban, both of which create hardship for the people in Swat, who are victims caught in the middle of their conflicts.

“The worst had happened. I had been targeted by the Taliban. Now I would get back to doing what I was meant to do.” 

The news that she is on the Taliban’s hit list does not shock or frighten Malala. She remains focused on her cause, convinced that her work for girls’ educational rights is a calling more important even than her life.

“We had shared every step of the journey that somehow brought us to this hospital room. And we would share every step going forward.” 

Malala shows the deep love and admiration she has for her devoted father. They share the same commitment to truth, education, and to speaking out against inequity.

“But the ones who should feel shame are the Taliban, for shooting a child, and the government, for not protecting her.” 

Her mother will not let Malala’s father blame himself for the attack on Malala. Instead, she places blame on the Taliban and the government—revealing again the government’s inefficacy and the Taliban’s brutality.

“It’s odd to be so well known but to be lonely at the same time.” 

Although support for Malala and her campaign pour in from around the world, and Malala credits the multitude of prayers from strangers as well as God for her survival, Malala misses her friends and home in Pakistan. This wistful comment reveals her occasional desire to be “just Malala” again.

“But I’m not really free to be like other girls my age—because of the way the world sees me.” 

Conscious that she represents both the cause of girls’ educational rights and the people of Pakistan, Malala takes her role as a public figure seriously. She believes she must be a role model and live up to people’s expectations. Malala shows again the heroic characteristic of self-sacrifice, putting her wishes aside for the greater good.

“As if he forced me to speak out. As if I didn’t have a mind of my own.” 

Malala defends her father from detractors who blame him for her attack. She characteristically asserts her independence, declaring that she has her own ideas and makes her own decisions. In this way, Malala differs from many of the girls she is fighting for—girls who are forced into actions, and who do not have the education or freedom to make up their own minds.

“But I am proud to say that now I am known as Malala’s father.” 

While people once wanted to hear from Malala because of her father’s work in education, after she is shot, people want to hear from him because of her fame and influence. Her father shows his high regard for his daughter by accepting a secondary role—something other Pashtun men might be embarrassed by.

“I think of the world as a family. When one of us is suffering, we must all pitch in and help.” 

Malala believes we have a moral obligation to help one another. This viewpoint illuminates Malala’s sense of empathy and her selflessness.

“I don’t want to be thought of as ‘the girl who was shot by the Taliban’ but as ‘the girl who fought for education,’ the girl who stands up for peace with knowledge as her weapon.”

Following her attack, Malala reframes her identity through her UN speech. She wants to be known as a fighter for her cause rather than a victim.

“One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world.” 

In her UN speech, Malala describes the power of education and the importance of grassroots activism. Malala is an example of one child whose thirst for learning and support from teachers and family changed not only her life, but also those of others in need.