Interesting and informative biography ((c) 2013) by the then 16 year old Pakistani education activist and future (2014) Nobel Prize for Peace winner. As might be expected, it reads like a precocious teenager wrote it. The descriptions of the diverse Pakistani attitudes toward female education and the harsh dictates of the Taliban are chilling. I picked up this softcover copy from the Little Free Library (#15976) on N. West End Avenue, Lancaster, PA.

Released at the February 2016 meet-up of the DC BookCrossers held in the food court of the Westfield Wheaton shopping mall.

I was really excited to see this book and claimed it immediately. Malala is an amazing and inspiring young woman. She was voted favorite interview ever on Jon Stewart's The Daily Show and she had my vote hands down. I went to see the movie He Named Me Malala when it came out in October and I was looking forward to watching and recording it when it airs on cable on Monday. Sadly both the TV and the cable box were fried in the storm we had this week, so I probably won't be able to. Having the book to read makes me feel better.

Malala is one of my heroes. She has such a clear vision and focus and determination and she hasn't let the circumstances of her life interfere with that -- in fact, those circumstances have helped and inspired her. I first remember hearing about Malala just a few months before she was shot and I was impressed with her work in Pakistan to advocate for education for all children. I remember holding my breath and praying for her when I heard she had been shot in the head by the Taliban for her crusade. And I have followed her since with great admiration -- winning the Nobel Prize, of course, but also campaigning for education and for girls' rights to learn in hotspots around the world. I saw the movie based on this book and was inspired again and I have been frustrated that the charitable donation program at my work doesn't include the Malala Fund.

The things that struck me most from reading the book are Malala's love for Swat Valley and the Pashtun people she comes from, her attachment to her traditions and religion is true and deep and she explains many aspects of these in the book with pride and not apology, even as she expresses understanding of how they might be viewed by others. Malala's father is often seen as the one who helped shape her into the person she has become and he is even more outspoken than she is on many issues. However, the one person who shone through in this book, for me, besides Malala, is her mother, who is every bit the equal partner in the marriage (if not the lead) despite being illiterate, and who has done much to inform Malala's interaction with other people which is so crucial to her charm and her success. And Malala clearly brought her own mind and personality to her mission, as is clear from the strength of her voice in this book.

I was reminded again of her captivating interview with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show during the US government shutdown when she reminded us all of the importance of taking action to make a difference instead of pouting about our circumstances. I remember her saying that when she pictured being approached by a Taliban assassin, she had originally thought to defend herself by hitting him with a shoe, but then decided that she would ask to explain her cause before being shot, but not strike out because to do so would be to stoop to his level. That approach to the world was most refreshing to me during this incredibly toxic 2016 election season.

This book is going to the October meet-up with me and will either go home with another BookCrosser or be left on the OBCZ shelf for someone else to enjoy.

Any future reader or recipient of this book is encouraged to leave a journal entry here on the BookCrossing site to let prior readers know the fate of the book. You can make an anonymous entry without joining the BookCrossing movement, but if you are interested in joining, it is a free and spam-free community where your contact information is not shared with others. Best of all, members receive private messages via e-mail from books like this one when those books are journaled, allowing for long-term relationships between books and readers.

I took this home from a BCinDC meetup. I am looking forward to reading this!

Unlike most people I know, I hadn't really heard about Malala until after she was shot. I may have heard her speak a few times or may have heard something, because I remember a little bit of familiarity with her name when the news of the shooting made it to the US. But I certainly heard a lot about her afterward.

I admired her even before reading her story. Now that I've read it, I both admire and *like* her. It was wonderful getting to hear about her personal life and experiences. I really enjoyed getting to hear about her family life, her friends, and her home town. I loved hearing her views about the right for all children--girls and boys, rich and poor--to be educated. It was inspiring in all sorts of ways.

I find it hard saying much else about it. I enjoyed it, even the parts when I was terrified for Malala and her family. I'm really glad I read it.

Taking to a BCinDC meetup, in case someone wants it. Enjoy!

Picked up from the Bookcrossing meetup in Alexandria. Releasing into the Little Free Library for the neighborhood visitors.

12/11/2017 - this book keeps disappearing and reappearing in the LFL. I take that to mean people are reading and returning it relatively quickly.