I am Malala – A review

Title: I Am Malala
Author: Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb
Price: Rs 295/-

How often does it happen that you’re just finishing a book and a reviewing challenge comes up? First, I’m not big on reviews.. writing them that is. I love reading them though.

‘I am Malala’ is a book I’ve been wanting to read for a long time for lots of reasons. Though I’m not much for autobiographies I love women protagonists and one as brave and inspiring as this one made it a sure read for me. Also, I have always been curious about life in Pakistan because they are so close and so like us yet so very different in many ways.

All those reasons made the book a compelling read.

This is the story of Malala, a young Pakistani girl, who is passionate about the cause of Women’s education. 

Malala was the eldest of three children. Both her younger siblings were boys. Despite the bias against girls that was/is prevalent in Pakistan, much like India, she remained her father’s favourite. Her mother was illiterate yet a very forward thinking woman. However, it was her father who influenced her most. He was a speaker and an educationist and ran schools of his own. She would sit near him and listen to him as he told stories or later, discussed politics. As she grew older she started going out with him to deliver talks on the need for education. They would talk at rallies and meets and at radio stations.

She traces the political upheavals in Pakistan – Musharraf’s coming to power, Benazir’s assassination, the Taliban rise, 9/11 and it’s effect on Pakistan and also Osama’s capture. 

Her relatively happy life as the brightest student of her class, changed when the Taliban took over the Swat valley.
“I was ten when the Taliban came to the Valley. Moniba (her friend) and I had been reading the Twilight series and longed to be vampires.”
What it must have been for a free-thinking, Twilight reading, bright young girl to suddenly be barred from school, is hard to imagine. From worrying about whether she would top her class yet again she had to start worrying about how long she would be able to go to school at all. 

However, Malala and her friends refused to be cowed down by the Taliban. They would hide their books under their shawls along the way to school. She talks at length about life under their rule. She derived her strength from her father who canvassed tirelessly against them. She also wrote a blog for the BBC under the pseudonym Gul Makai.

When she was 15 in 2012, on her way back from school, the Taliban shot her in  the head at point blank range. Nobody expected her to survive. But she did and despite her experiences, continues to champion her cause even today.

Her’s is a very fascinating journey and that makes the book a great read. 

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Linking to Write Tribe Festival of Words


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A lesson learnt

I enjoy writing. I’ve done it for a living. Sometimes I’ve liked what I wrote and sometimes I haven’t. But I’ve always managed to beat the deadline. But let someone tell me to ‘write without thinking’ and I draw a blank. My mind, as that of many writer friends, is so conditioned to think and analyse and correct that it has forgotten what it’s like to let go.

Today’s prompt asks us to do just that. It’s Free Write time at the Write Tribe Festival of Words on Day 3 and I’m stuck yet again. After staring at the computer for a while I gave up and decided to go get some work done to get the mind out of its ‘I am a big blank’ state.

I had to pick a gift for a friend so I walked over to a gift shop near where I live. It’s an amazing place – Warm and cosy and full of amazing knick knacks and deserves a full post.

As I walked in I spotted a little girl of about 10 with a dark mop of curly hair sitting in the shop ‘designing’ book marks. She finished one with a flourish and showed it to her mum, the store owner/manager, ‘How’s it mama?’ She asked eagerly. ‘You think they’ll sell?’ 

Humouring her, the mum called out to me and asked, ‘What do you think? Would you buy this for Rs 30/-?’

I turned from where I was browsing the wares and looked at the slightly crooked bookmark, then at the little girl’s innocent look of eager anticipation and  replied, “Yeah I think I would.” The mum however had no such compunctions. Said she, “I don’t think I would. You need to make the edges straighter and the colouring needs to be more evenly done.” 

Without seeming put out at all the little girl started over, diligently cutting out a fresh strip of paper and designing it again. Soon she was back to her mum with a much better piece. “How’s this one? Do you like the design?”

I loved the way the girl took her mum’s criticism… How positive she was. Perhaps she was used to it – this honest and frank evaluation from her mum.

Often in an attempt to spare our children heartache we tell small white lies. I know I do. That really doesn’t work in the long run. It would have been easy for the mum to put those crooked bookmarks in a corner of her shop. But then, when they would have found no takers how heartbroken would the little girl have been. Worse, she would have never trusted her mum’s judgement again. Even worse, if some suckers like me would have bought them (30 Rs are easy to spare), she would have been content with her efforts and would never have learnt to get better.
And so another age-old maxim proves it’s worth …. Honesty is truly the best policy.

A lesson for me too – Sometimes to get somewhere or to get something done, we need to stop trying too hard. Sometimes, the trick, is to let go. I just did!

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My favourite blogs

It’s the day for Blog Love. Day 2 at the  Write Tribe Festival of Words asks us to talk about our favourite blogs. 

This one’s a toughie for me. There really are too many to choose from. The ones I go to most often are of course the mommy blogs, then there crafty blogs, food blogs, movie blogs and some political and social ones too.. I’m completely lost.
As usual when I cannot think clearly I make out a list.

Here are my top four

1. The Mad Momma at themadmomma.wordpress.com/
I read the madmomma for her non-nonsense yet sensitive approach to parenting and life. I love the warmth that comes through in her blog. I love the way she celebrates the differences of her kids. There’s humour and philosophy amidst the daily chatter, though I wouldn’t mind that either.

2. The Orange Rhino at theorangerhino.com
Here’s another amazing mum…. to four boys. She’s on a 365 day no-yelling journey! That in itself is miraculous enough for me to want to read what she writes. Add to it liberal doses of humour and straight from the heart talk and the blog’s a total delight.  I’ve blogged about her earlier too because I find her such an inspiration. 

3. The life and times of an Indian Homemaker at http://indianhomemaker.wordpress.com/
You couldn’t have missed this one if you’ve been blogging for sometime. I love the issues taken up and enjoy this perspective of happenings around us.

4. Artsy Crafty mum at artsycraftsymum.com
This where I turn to for all things artsy craftsy. Fun crafts, school projects, fancy dress costumes, birthday party decor it’s all here. In desperate times I’ve even dropped her a mail and have always had help.

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Fitting in

Desperate sobs wracked her tiny frame as she stood there alone, clutching her doll.
A bunch of girls played close by ignoring her with deliberate ease. Not one made a move to approach her .. to soothe, to befriend, to console.
Why would they? Wasn’t it they who had refused to include her?
“Just look at that monster,” they’d said, laughing at her.
Her crime?
Her doll didn’t ‘fit in’.

Who said children couldn’t be cruel?

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And with that nine-liner we kick off the week-long Festival of Words at Write Tribe. Today we were required to write a piece of fiction consisting of exactly nine sentences.
For more super nine-liners click here.
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Dreams

I dreamed of you
when I didn’t have you
You came along.. Not one but two..
What a wonderful way for my dream to come true!

Two tiny beings.. Too tiny you were.
I dreamed and prayed for health and strength.

Yet again my dream came true
healthy and strong and amazing you grew.

Few years later it was time for school
You cried and cried till I cried too.
I dreamed of a time when you’d love your school day
My dream got real when you smiled all the way.

Each day I watched my dreams come true
and yet each day I dreamt anew.

A dashing young man, a spirited young lady
Goodness and kindness and happiness definitely.
A doctor, a chef, an actress maybe…
A WWE wrestler? Oh Lord help me!!

I want the moon I want the stars
A bit of the sky also for you..
Most of all I want what you want
for all of your dreams are my dreams too!!

The final day is here folks.. Day 7 at the Write Tribe Festival of Words. The prompt for today is ‘Dreams’. To share the dreams of some very creative people go here..