50 pages • 1 hour read
Malala Yousafzai, Patricia McCormickI Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World (Young Readers Edition)
Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | YA | Published in 2014A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Essay Topics
Consider Malala’s relationship with her parents. How does her father inspire Malala to become a champion of girls’ educational rights? In what ways is Malala similar to her father? What character traits do they share? Characterize Malala’s relationship with her mother. In what ways does her mother influence Malala? Does Malala have a closer bond to one parent over the other? Discuss.
Malala believes she—and everyone—has a basic right to education. Why is girls’ education so important to Malala? What are some of the benefits of education? In contrast, the Taliban believe that girls’ education is un-Islamic. Why do you think the Taliban want to suppress girls’ education?
Although Malala wins the Nobel Prize and receives international support and recognition for her advocacy work, she is still a teenager when she begins writing her memoir. In what ways does Malala show she is a regular teenager? What does Malala have in common with young adult readers, even those from other cultures? What narrative strategies does Malala use to connect to other teens?
Malala’s first blog entry for the BBC is titled “I Am Afraid.” Describe Malala’s life under the Taliban’s influence. What rules and restrictions do the Taliban enact? How do the Taliban gain more and more control over the people in Swat? Why do you think the Taliban attract followers?
Many people consider Malala a hero for her work. Consider the different traits of heroism. Which traits does Malala exhibit? Other people consider Malala an agitator—someone who urges others to rebel and causes trouble. Why do you think she would be viewed this way? Do you think she is a hero or an agitator, or a combination of both? Support your answer.
Malala originally wants to be a doctor but changes her mind and decides to be a politician. Why does she want to enter politics? Detail some of the people and events in Malala’s life that help her realize this decision. How does Malala act on these influences?
Malala tells her schoolmate, “When you are caught between military and militants, there is no good” (62). Discuss this quote. What does Malala mean? How do Malala and her family feel about the Pakistani army? About the Pakistani government? Are they preferable to the Taliban? Why or why not? Give evidence to support your answer.
What might Malala’s future be like if she did not attend school? If she had different parents? What is the role of women in Pakistani society? How do the Taliban view the role of women? Discuss how Malala also fights for women’s rights.
What are Malala’s feelings about death at the beginning of her memoir, and after the Taliban attack on her life? Do her feelings change? If so, how? What does her second chance at life mean to Malala?
How do Malala’s life and the lives of her family change when they move to England? What challenges do they face? In what ways do living in England help Malala with her advocacy work? In what ways might living in England hurt her ability to help others in different countries, or even her home country of Pakistan?
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