50 pages • 1 hour read
Malala Yousafzai, Patricia McCormickI Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World (Young Readers Edition)
Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | YA | Published in 2014A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Prologue-Part 1, Chapter 5Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part 1: “Before the Taliban”
Prologue Summary
Malala describes the day that her familiar life in Pakistan changed forever. She recalls her bedroom with its unmade bed, the smell of rice cooking in the kitchen, and the noise of her little brothers arguing. Now, she and her family live in chilly Birmingham, England, in a much different kind of house. Malala reflects that she may never return to her beloved Pakistan because of the event that took place on Tuesday, October 9, 2012.
On this day, 15-year-old Malala wakes up late for school and an important exam. She is in ninth grade at the Khushal School for Girls, a school founded by her father. Malala is already gaining public attention for speaking out about the importance of girls’ education. Malala enjoys school and takes pride in the many trophies she has earned for academic achievements. Recently, Malala had a premonition that something bad was going to happen. She asked God to let her die a little bit so she could return and tell people about the experience. Days pass, however, and nothing negative occurs. This day, Malala does well on her exam, and she and her best friend, Moniba, catch the second bus home. The white bus is packed with students and two teachers. Only a few minutes from Malala’s home, the bus stops. Malala explains that she remembers nothing beyond this point and only learned what happened later. Two young men in white robes ask, “Who is Malala?” (7). Then one raises his hands and points at her.
Chapter 1 Summary: “As Free as a Bird”
Malala explains she is just like any girl her age, but a few things, like her double-jointedness, make her unique. Malala and her family are Pashtuns, members of a tribe of people living in Afghanistan and Pakistan. They follow Pashtunwali, a set of moral codes, which includes offering hospitality and seeking badal, or revenge. Malala is named after Malalai, a Pashtun heroine. Toor Pekai is Malala’s mother. Malala’s father, Ziauddin, runs the Khushal School and works as teacher, principal, and handyman.
Malala idolizes her father and loves the school. From the time she is a baby, Malala visits the school and sits in on classes with older students. Ziauddin is proud of Malala and supports her unusual independence and desire for knowledge. He vows that Malala will live a free life. Growing up, Malala plays and argues with her two younger brothers, Khushal and Atal.
Malala’s friend, Safina, lives next door. Once, when she thought Safina took her toy, Malala stole jewelry from Safina for badal. When discovered, Malala feared her father’s disappointment, but he consoled her with stories of mistakes by famous heroes. Malala swears she will never again seek badal.
Even as a young child Malala is upset by the cultural disparities between women and men. Women follow purdah—covering themselves in public and walking behind their husbands. Malala prefers listening in on her father’s political conversations and hearing about the outside world rather than joining the women’s gossip. Malala worries that despite her father’s support, her future will be limited because of her gender.
Chapter 2 Summary: “Dreams”
Twice a year, during the Islamic holidays of Big Eid and Small Eid—the latter marking the end of daytime Ramadan fasting—Malala and her family take a bus up to her parents’ home in the mountain village of Shangla. Malala’s cousins tease her for being a “sophisticated city girl” (22), but Malala knows that people in big cities would think she was provincial. The village does not have modern amenities like hospitals, shops, or even basic government-provided utilities such as clean water or electricity.
Life is especially hard for the women in the village: They have stricter rules about covering their faces and speaking to men who are not relatives. Many of the women and girls are illiterate, as is Malala’s mother. Most of Malala’s cousins do not attend school. Malala knows that many men do not appreciate their daughters. They see no reason for them to get an education because they will eventually marry out of the family and care for their husbands’ houses.
Malala wonders why women in Pakistan are so badly treated. Her father explains that in Afghanistan, women are treated even worse. There, the Taliban rule the country and impose harsh restrictions against women, like refusing to let girls get an education and forbidding women to laugh out loud. Malala has not heard of the Taliban before. She is glad they live far away and is unaware of the fact that there is a group of Taliban in Pakistan.
Chapter 3 Summary: “A Magic Pencil”
When Malala is eight years old, her favorite TV program is Shaka Laka Boom Boom, about a boy who uses a magic pencil to right wrongs. She prays that God will give her a pencil like that to make everyone happy. Taking garbage to the dump one day, Malala encounters a raggedy girl her own age who is sorting trash with some boys. Malala takes her father to speak to them, but they run away. Her father explains that the children are not in school because they are searching for things to sell and help their families. Malala suddenly understands that God wanted her to see what her life might be like if she could not attend school. She writes a letter to God asking for help “to make the world a better place” (27).
The Khushal School is now highly successful, with over 800 students in an elementary school and two separate high schools for boys and girls. Malala’s mother, remembering what it is like to be hungry, gives food away to a poor family in the neighborhood. She also cooks breakfast for some of the needy students at the school. Malala notices that some students have left the school and discovers that their rich parents did not like them learning alongside poor children. Malala is sad at the injustice and worried about what the financial loss could mean to her family.
Chapter 4 Summary: “A Warning from God”
Malala is in primary school on October 8, 2005, when the worst earthquake in history strikes Pakistan. Although earthquakes are common in the region, Malala knows this one is different. The students are sent home from school. Malala finds her mother outside, tearfully repeating verses from the Quran. The aftershocks continue for a month. Malala’s home city of Mingora is spared major damage, but their family village, Shangla, and most of the villages in northern Pakistan are destroyed.
The first help to arrive in the villages comes from a militant, conservative religious group called Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Sharia-e-Mohammadi (TNSM), known as the Movement for the Enforcement of Islamic Law. The members help villages rebuild, lead prayers, and care for thousands of newly orphaned children. The TNSM is run by Sufi Mohammad and Maulana Fazlullah. Other aid for the earthquake survivors slowly trickles in from the government and the United States, but most of the relief comes from groups linked to the TNSM. Religious leaders of the TNSM tell people that the earthquake was a sign of God’s displeasure and that the people need to mend their wicked ways and adopt sharia, the Islamic law. Otherwise, more destruction will follow. Malala knows that the Pakistani people, their lives devastated by the earthquake, were susceptible to the “bad intentions” of the TNSM.
Chapter 5 Summary: “The First Direct Threat”
Malala realizes that their community is changing when a mufti, or Islamic scholar, and six community elders come to their home. Malala listens in as the mufti angrily tells her father that the girls’ school is a sacrilege and that girls should instead be in purdah. Malala believes that the mufti is influenced by an illegal radio show that preaches against “un-Islamic” people. Malala’s father assures them that he is a Muslim and agrees to a compromise. Malala thinks the mufti will hold a grudge against them for losing his argument.
Most young children attend a madrasa, or school for learning about Islam. There, they learn prayers and the Arabic alphabet so they can recite the words of the Quran, even though they do not know what the words mean. Many children do not receive any other education. Malala attends a madrasa but knows she is fortunate to also attend the Khushal School and learn other subjects. When a boy tells her that her school is bad, Malala disagrees. The Khushal School allows her the freedom to expand her mind and be herself.
Malala worries about succeeding in school and managing her friendships. When Malala does not win a first-place prize one year, her father explains this loss will teach her to be both a good loser and a good winner. Malala also gets frustrated with her best friend, Moniba, who gets jealous and starts fights, leaving it up to Malala to make up.
Prologue-Part 1, Chapter 5 Analysis
Malala Yousafzai opens her memoir with her memories of the day she was nearly assassinated, a pivotal moment in her young life. Different from an autobiography, which chronologically relates the events of someone’s entire life, a memoir focuses on one part of a person’s life that profoundly impacts and changes them. Malala’s story is a transformation memoir. Malala survives the attempt on her life, triumphs over adversity, and uses her influence to advocate for education and human rights.
Malala’s memoir is an example of narrative non-fiction—a true account relayed like a story. The word “memoir” comes from the French word “mémoire,” which means “memory.” Malala tells the story of her life as she remembers it, and the focus is on her experiences rather than on exact facts. Malala’s first-person perspective adds to the story-like nature of the book, allowing the reader to feel close to Malala and experience her intimate thoughts and feelings.
In characteristic memoir style, Malala’s account is not chronological. She begins by creating tension and suspense, describing the moments just before she is shot, then going back in time to detail her early childhood. In Part 1, Malala focuses on her family life and her experiences in the Khushal School. In this section, Malala uses vivid description and sensory details to connect readers to her life in Mingora. Although readers may be coming from quite different cultural backgrounds, Malala helps create commonality by sharing memories that help readers relate with her, like describing her bickering with her brothers, her love of pizza, and games that she would play as a child.
This first section, “Before the Taliban,” establishes the memoir’s setting and conversational tone and sets up key themes. Readers learn what is important to Malala even as a young child, and what people and events influence her beliefs. Malala’s father emerges as a key figure in her life. He helps establish her moral compass, demonstrating understanding, charity, and integrity. He teaches the importance of being a good loser and forgiving one’s mistakes. He is Malala’s “hero.” Malala respects him and strives to earn his regard. Her rejection of badal stems from her feeling of shame that she disappointed her father. Malala also recognizes that her father differs from other Pashtun men in that he truly values her as a daughter—even though she is a girl. He encourages Malala to get a higher education and vows to protect her personal freedoms, supporting her childhood declaration that she will not cover her face when she becomes a teenager.
Malala sees that her father, a teacher, believes that everyone—girl or boy, rich or poor—should have access to education beyond the religious madrasa. The right to an education is a motivating force in Malala’s life and becomes one of the memoir’s central themes. From the time she is a baby, Malala loves attending the Khushal School. She is proud of her academic accomplishments and strives to learn all she can. Even at a young age, Malala understands that school offers a form of freedom from cultural restrictions. Malala dedicates her memoir to teachers, children seeking access to education and everyone who struggles for basic human rights, like the right to education.
Malala is also sensitive to the unfair, unequal treatment of women in Pakistani culture. She objects to purdah and does not understand why girls are valued less than boys. Malala sees that women are limited by their gender: They are not allowed to do the same jobs, and they do not have the same access to education or personal freedoms as men. This inequity rankles Malala. She is confident that most men, even respected elders, are wrong in their treatment of women. The injustices that Malala perceives—the poor children who cannot go to school, the unfair treatment of women—prompt Malala to adopt a mission. She charges herself with improving the world, knowing she must take responsibility for enacting change. Early on, Malala feels the compulsion to be a human rights activist.
Finally, Malala’s religious beliefs are important to her identity. As a young girl, she studies the Quran and asks for strength to help others. Still, Malala knows when Islam is being misrepresented. She is aware the TNSM is using fear to take advantage of people. She knows that girls’ education is not “un-Islamic.” Malala ends this section by foreshadowing the growing threat to her freedom of education.
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