Malala Yousafzai grew up in Pakistan with parents who were happy and celebrated when she was born- this in a country where only boy births were celebrated. The birth of a daughter brought sympathy instead. But Malala's father was a remarkable man who, instead of being constrained by cultural norms worked to bring education, including that of girls, to the Swat Valley.
When she was 12, Malala wrote a blog for the BBC under a pseudonym detailing her life under Taliban occupation, their attempts to take control of the valley, and her views on promoting education for girls. The following summer, a journalist made a New York Times documentary about her life as the Pakistani military intervened in the region. She was nominated for the International Children's Peace Prize by Desmond Tut.
However, all this attention brought down the wrath of the Taliban, and on the afternoon of October 9,
2012, a gunman entered her school bus, asked for her by name, then pointed a pistol at her and fired three shots. One bullet hit her in the face, seriously injuring her. She eventually was transferred to a hospital in Great Britain for treatment, and her family was relocated there, being in danger from the Taliban. They still live in exile from their homeland, but have continued to be activists and advocates for education for girls.
289 pages
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