I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban is an autobiographical book by Malala Yousafzai, co-written with Christina Lamb. It was published on 8 October 2013, by Weidenfeld & Nicolson in the UK and Little, Brown and Company in the US. The book details the early life of Yousafzai, her father’s ownership of schools and activism, the rise and fall of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan in Swat Valley and the assassination attempt made against Yousafzai, when she was aged 15, following her activism for female education. It received a positive critical reception and won awards, though it has been banned in many schools in Pakistan.
Sayeeda Warsi, writing for The Daily Telegraph, giving the book four stars out of five, wrote “Malala has turned a tragedy into something positive”. Entertainment Weekly gave the book a “B+”, writing “Malala’s bravely eager voice can seem a little thin here, in I Am Malala, likely thanks to her co-writer, but her powerful message remains undiluted.” Metro list the book as one of the “20 best non-fiction books of 2013”, praising that Yousafzai’s story is “one of idealism and stubborn courage”
Following the book’s release, the Pakistani Taliban released a statement threatening to kill Yousafzai, and target bookshops which sell the book.
The book, however, continues to be available in leading bookstores. It remains a popular reading among educated people especially young girls. Some schools, in fact, encourage students to read this book by keeping it in their libraries. Pakistan does not have high literacy rate, and therefore, the popularity or otherwise of any literature is always subject to how the educated people have received it.
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