I am Malala

Most of you have probably heard of Malala.  A young Pakistani girl who stood up for education in her homeland and was shot for standing up for her beliefs.  The 9th grade English team has actually done some research on Malala for our upcoming Freedom/speech unit, where our essential question is, "How do people stand up for their beliefs."  I downloaded her book from the library for free and am really enjoying it so far.  She starts off her memoir right in the action of when a man boarded the school bus she was on, asked who Malala was, and fired three shots at her.  Her writing is powerful and I felt like I could have been there in that moment.

Next, she travels back to her childhood and the changes that were happening in her homeland throughout her formative years.  Much of this information was new to me, as I don't claim to be a historian or incredibly knowledgeable about world affairs.  To be honest, I prefer the parts where she is writing about her own childhood, her father and how he developed schools, and her experiences at school in comparison to the historical sections.  I understand the need for the historical and government explanation.  I just am intrigued by her personal experience.  So far, this is a quick read.  I just started it a couple of days ago and I am already about 40% of the way through.  I would say it will be finished soon, but I know that this is not the case, as later today I will be collecting 60 creative nonfiction papers from my English 1B students and reading those will take priority.  Happy reading!

Here is an interview with Malala where she recounts some of her personal experience.  Totally worth watching!