I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban

I Am Malala

• Genre: Nonfiction; memoir
• Originally Published: 2013
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 830L; Grade Range: 7-12
• Protagonist Central Conflict: I Am Malala is the memoir of Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani girl who stood up against the Taliban’s efforts to deny education to girls. The central conflict revolves around Malala’s fight for girls’ education, her survival after being targeted and shot by the Taliban, and her ongoing advocacy for equal educational opportunities. It explores themes of courage, resilience, and the power of education in the face of oppression.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Violence, terrorism, gender inequality

Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb, Authors

• Bio: Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest Nobel Prize laureate. Her memoir, I Am Malala, details her experiences growing up in the Swat Valley and her advocacy for girls’ education, which made her a target of the Taliban. Christina Lamb is a British journalist who co-wrote the memoir, capturing Malala's powerful voice and providing context to the events and political landscape.
• Other Works: We Are Displaced: True Stories of Refugee Lives (2018)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

• Individual Versus Society
• Knowledge Versus Ignorance
• Power of Words

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Teaching Guide, students will:

• Gain an understanding of the cultural and historical contexts around the Taliban’s power in the Middle East and the social status of women in Pakistan, both of which are concerns that deeply shape Malala’s memoir.
• Study paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of Individual Versus Society, Knowledge Versus Ignorance, and the Power of Words.
• Research and brainstorm potential ways to promote social justice in their own lives, inspired and influenced by Malala’s own activism.
• Examine and appraise the author’s purpose and techniques to draw conclusions in structured essay responses regarding the impact of Malala’s family on her education, how “silence” is oppressive, and other topics.