I Am Malala by Keira Rooney

Snap 1

rooneyk3 — 2025-03-11 20:05:42 UTC

This is the opening page of the story, and right off the bat it highlights some of the key issues in the story and foreshadows the main event. The line, "But my country is centuries behind this one."(Yousafzai pg 1), highlights some of the underlying issues that Pakistan is facing. These include sexism, terrorism, underdevelopment, etc. All of these are key factors in Malala's story, and help readers understand the events that unfold. She also talks about her love for her country and shows how she wishes her normal life wasn't ripped away from her in a single moment.

Snap 2

rooneyk3 — 2025-03-11 20:12:50 UTC

Here Malala uses a great play on words to tie the end of the prologue together. She also has a powerful statement at the end stating, "Who is Malala? I am Malala and this is my story,"(Yousafzai pg 9). This is a direct reference to the title of the book, and starts the story off on a powerful note. There are a few other things on this page that are attention grabbing. The first being the fact that she was the only girl without her face covered. The Taliban (the terrorist group in power) required women and girls to cover their faces and adhere to a strict dress code. This defiance from Malala shows her values and how she could have been seen as a "threat". The other line is "The gunman's hand was shaking as he fired,"(Yousafzai pg 9). This along with the fact that he appeared to be college age shows that many of the men enforcing the Taliban's laws were likely forced into it with the fear of their own safety, but that they likely didn't agree with them.

Snap 3

rooneyk3 — 2025-03-17 15:08:34 UTC

There are many important things mentioned on this page. The first being the quote at the top. Malala was told this by a relative, but it immediately reminded me of a quote from Malala herself, "Let us pick up our books and our pens. They are the most powerful weapons. One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the world."(Yousafzai). This shows that Malala was greatly influenced by her upbringing and fights for those values she was taught. The second is the mention of the lack of women's rights and gender equality. Today Malala is a huge advocate for womens education, something that isn't given to many women in the Middle East.

Snap 4

rooneyk3 — 2025-03-17 15:09:14 UTC

On this page Malala's father says the most important gift is the gift of an education. This is subtle foreshadowing because he went on to create his own school to give other children in Pakistan the same gift. This also likely contributed to Malala's views on education. Today she is a major activist for it, especially in places like Pakistan where a lot of children don't get the chance to go to school, especially girls. On this page she also describes some of her fathers character traits, which she also has showing how her family and upbringing has greatly influenced her. Overall this page shows how Malala gained her views on education and how her fathers character was passed down to her.

Snap 5

rooneyk3 — 2025-03-17 15:24:19 UTC

Here Malala describes her upbringing in a school. Her father was the founder and principal of one, so Malala was exposed to education at a very young age. What I find striking about this is that many girls in Pakistan never get to go to school or get a proper education as it is seen as a thing only for men. She defied the social norms in a way by just being in school. Malala's unique situation allowed her to experience something many children didn't which is partly why she is a huge activist for education today.

Snap 1

rooneyk3 — 2025-03-18 11:50:45 UTC

This page is likely a culture shock for many people. The rules for women in religions and in cultures around the world are very different than anything we are used to in the US. Here Malala describes dress codes, women not being allowed to speak to men they aren't related to, and even the fact that it is socially unacceptable for a girl to flirt with a boy, but the other way around is allowed. On the next page she describes how the girl, Seena, had flirted with a boy, so her family poisoned her. This and many other things would be unheard of in the culture and society we are used to. Overall this page is sad but is a testament to what some women are going through in their everyday lives.

Snap 2

rooneyk3 — 2025-03-18 12:07:59 UTC

In this section their is some foreshadowing to Malala's experience with the Taliban. She describes what they were doing in Afghanistan, which would later affect her life as well. She also continues to talk about the strict rules that women had to follow under the Taliban. This included wearing a burqa, not being allowed to laugh out loud, not being allowed to wear white shoes, etc. All of this would come to affect Malala. when the Taliban took control of Swat girls were prevented from going to school, and many strict rules were put in place for women.

Snap 3

rooneyk3 — 2025-03-18 12:15:58 UTC

This page includes some super powerful messages from important historical people. The first is from Mohammad Gandhi, he says, freedom also includes the freedom to make mistakes, which I think everyone can learn from. The second is from Abraham Lincoln who said "It is far more honorable to fail than to cheat,"(Lincoln). These messages shine through in Malala's words through the rest of this section, and shows her change in mindset from having to be the best, to learning how to make mistakes. This is an important lesson for everyone to learn at some point in their life.

Snap 4

rooneyk3 — 2025-03-18 12:24:28 UTC

One thing that caught my attention on this page was the cycle of revenge and violence. When someone starts a feud with your family, or harms someone, Pashtun code says to take revenge. This instantly reminded me of Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds. In the story Will has to follow "the rules" and take revenge for his brothers death. Another thing I thought Malala did well on this page was comparing corrupt politicians and the rest of the population to an airplane. The politicians who only care about the money are seated in business class, unaware or uncaring of everyone suffering in economy.

Snap 5

rooneyk3 — 2025-03-18 12:32:43 UTC

This page truly shows Malala's character and how she grew as a person at a young age. She realized that winning doesn't mean you can win again without trying which is absolutely true. She also defies gender norms again by writing her own speeches. She mentioned before that for public speaking contests the men of the family usually wrote the speech for them, but after this she began to write her own. She also says that she delivered them from her heart rather than a piece of paper. This is something that makes a person a great public speaker. Someone can be a great writer, but to truly be a good public speaker your emotions need to shine through.

Snap 1

rooneyk3 — 2025-04-02 12:34:17 UTC

I chose this page because it highlights many of the policies and punishments surrounding the Taliban. This included women not being allowed to go to the shops alone, education being considered a form of westernization, and public whippings as punishment for crimes. All of this was supposedly in the name of protecting Islam, however this seems to go against Islam's general message, which is that humans must submit to God, and live a life of faith and compassion. Another thing I can't fathom is being only around 11 years old and having to witness things like this on a daily basis. This likely contributed to trauma, but also the reason Malala advocates for women's rights and education today.

Snap 2

rooneyk3 — 2025-04-02 12:34:39 UTC

On this page, it is evident that the Taliban attacked anyone who went against them. What I find shocking is that they used the Islamic holiday of Eid to begin these targeted killings. Another things highlighted on this page is the general fear of westernization and the problem of corruption. While the Taliban were terrorizing the country, the government was doing nothing, fearful for their own lives. The Taliban also believed and spread the idea that education, especially educating girls, was a way to westernize Pakistan. They told Malala's father that his school was un-Islamic because he educated girls. This was before their was an official ban on girls education, but it shows the buildup of tensions that will lead to conflicts later on.

Snap 3

rooneyk3 — 2025-04-02 12:35:41 UTC

This page shows just how mature Malala was for her age, and also some of the more cultural battles they were fighting against the Taliban. She describes how the Taliban were attacking their culture; they despised music, tv, and games. She also uses a great metaphor, comparing the people of Swat and Pakistan to little dolls for the Taliban to control. She then says that God made them all different for a reason. I think this is very impactful, especially for her to recognize at a young age. This also shows how many of her core beliefs and values were formed at a young age.

Snap 4

rooneyk3 — 2025-04-02 12:36:17 UTC

Benazir Bhutto was the first female prime minister in Pakistan. In this passage, Malala describes her as a symbol of hope, and the only leader to criticize the militants. This page also mentions the fact that after her first term she was in exile for 9 years due to corruption accusations. This is ironic because her administration was accused of this while trying to pass democratic policies in a very conservative Muslim country. However the government that replaced her seems to be actually corrupt. One reason I picked this page was because of her reaction to finally being home. By the way Malala describes her home in Pakistan you can tell she would have the same reaction. It also shows how much Benazir cares for her country, and why most people in Pakistan would vote her for prime minister.

Snap 5

rooneyk3 — 2025-04-02 12:37:17 UTC

This page is very heart warming and motivational compared to the overall sentiment of this section. The words of Malala's father ring true in her activism today, and in a dark time gave young Malala hope. This page also shows the many influential people Malala was surrounded by from a young age. All of her father's friends considered her their honorary daughter. This also shows the support system she had in her activism from when she was little. They helped her with interviews and her blog because they all cared deeply about her future and how her words could change peoples' lives.

Snap 1

rooneyk3 — 2025-04-02 12:37:50 UTC

Malala's words on this page highlight the main idea of the book and her activism today. The idea that thoughts and words can be just as powerful, if not more, than violence and injustice. This message is an incredibly powerful thing to recognize at such a young age. There are other things mentioned on this page that are such disturbing things for a child to see or even think about, such as her saying "who would attack a child" , and the teacher seeing a corpse on the way to school. The effects of Taliban control are also shown when she says her class size went from 27 girls to 10. Overall this page is impactful because it shows all the horrible unjust things going on around her, but also how she was able to take a huge life lesson out of it.

Snap 2

rooneyk3 — 2025-04-02 12:38:55 UTC

I picked this page because it mentions one of my core beliefs: education is a human right. Everyone deserves access to a good education to set them up for their future. The fear of westernization was a big fear of the Taliban, and this thought of education being western led to many schools being destroyed and girls education being banned. This idea is completely unsupported and a form of brainwashing by the Taliban. I was also surprised that they are supportive of boys education despite the fact that they think it is still a form of westernization, however for girls it is seen as taboo. Overall this page highlights a major injustice.

Snap 3

rooneyk3 — 2025-04-02 12:39:29 UTC

This page was just an overall shock. A girl was attacked by the Taliban because she came out of her house with a man who wasn't her husband, however no one even asked if it was another relative, they just assumed the worst. What is even more horrifying about this is the fact that her female relative offered to help hold her down while they beat her. Malala even mentions how this goes against the very principles of Islam, and how you are supposed to show respect to women. I think that this video made the world pay more attention to their plight because of the violence, however just like Malala mentions, they should have payed attention before to the injustices against girls education.

Snap 4

rooneyk3 — 2025-04-02 12:41:00 UTC

This page shows the corruption and overall tactics of the Taliban: attacking anyone who spoke out against them. They tried to silence the voices of their opponents with violence and murder. There are a few things mentioned here that surprised me. The first being the fact that the suicide bomber was only 18 years old. Malala had mentioned that boys were being brought in and being trained to do this, but this is so young to sacrifice your life to something so horrible. The second was the family of Zahid Khan exchanging fire with the Taliban. This type of violence and almost guerrilla warfare seems to be common, especially if these attacks are targeted. The second reason I picked this page was because of a text to self connection. Malala mentions an assembly made up of students, which reminded me of a leadership council I'm on for a congressman. Overall this page shows the main issues, but also the activism and political groups trying to fight it.

Snap 5

rooneyk3 — 2025-04-02 12:42:04 UTC

This page includes many sad and interesting comments regarding the Taliban and the overall conditions in Swat. Even though the Taliban had largely retreated, a large flood had swept through and destroyed all the rebuilding people had been working so hard on. Three things about this stand out to me. The first is the sad comment her cousin made about how their valley went from a place of hope to a place that was constantly being pressured with natural disasters and terrorism. The second is the idea that it was a punishment from God for singing and dancing, despite the fact that this was for Islamic celebrations. The third is the theory that the Americans caused it with new technology so they could send aid and then spy on the country, which is a crazy theory. Finally this page further highlights the corruption and irresponsible reactions from the government because while this was happening their president was on vacation in France. This lead to mistrust from western nations because they weren't sure if they could count on the government to repay them at some point.

Snap 1

rooneyk3 — 2025-04-23 19:30:33 UTC

This page was a shock when I first read it. The army is still hunting the Taliban, however they are detaining or attacking anyone who they assumed helped the Taliban. As mentioned on this page, people were wrongly accused and even killed for being in connection to the Taliban. This reminded me of the Red Scare. The Red Scare was an event during the cold war where everyone was afraid of a communist takeover, and anyone who was even remotely suspected to be connected to the communist party was punished. Another reason I picked this page was because it left me wondering if the Taliban were really gone, especially with all the people going missing.

Snap 2

rooneyk3 — 2025-04-23 19:44:54 UTC

I chose this page because it shows a significant event in American history from another point of view. Osama bin Laden was a militant leader and terrorist responsible for the September 11th attacks on the US. One thing that surprised me about this page was the fact that the military academy, Abbottabad, was less than a mile from his house, and the fact that cadets even trained right next to it. This further shows that the army isn't very capable of protecting the country from terrorists and outside threats. The fact that the US carried out a raid without their knowledge also proves this. Overall this raises concerns about local and international intelligence regarding large threats, and shows the mistrust between the two nations considering the US came in without asking for Pakistans help or permission.

Snap 3

rooneyk3 — 2025-04-23 20:39:32 UTC

This page is significant because it shows how Malalas international fame and impact was continuing to grow. Here she was nominated for an international award, and was one of only five people. She was also asked to speak at an education gala in Lahore, Pakistan. This page also highlights her plight in this story when she references how girls were banned from going to school due to the Taliban. She says, "I know the importance of education because my pens and books were taken from me by force,"(Yousafzai pg 214). She is speaking from personal experience, an experience she never wants any other child to experience. Overall this page shows how Malala not only continued her campaign but she continued to do it on a national and global level.

Snap 4

rooneyk3 — 2025-04-23 20:48:36 UTC

This page shows Malala's connection to her religion-both how it protected her and put her in danger. The Taliban claimed to be purifying Islam, and banning girls education was part of that. Malala's activism for girls education made her a target despite her devotion to Islam. Malala turned their own weapon against them by using her faith to ease her nerves and protect herself and her entire valley. This page also shows how humanity transcends culture, language, and religion. Malala prays for the well being of all human beings, correcting herself after first saying "all of Swat" and then "all Muslims". This connects back to her message of education for all children, not just those in her valley or her country. Overall her faith was a double edged sword-fueling the Taliban while simultaneously being her source of reassurance and protection.

Snap 5

rooneyk3 — 2025-04-23 20:49:11 UTC

I chose this page because it shows the climax of the story, the shooting, from Malala's perspective. She doesn't have a clear memory of what happened, but says she didn't even realize the Taliban were on the bus. She also uses imagery on this page, describing the sounds of both the gun and what she remembers, the chickens being beheaded. She also gives the Taliban some humanity on this page by mentioning their families. The Taliban were ordinary people who believed that the regime they were carrying out was that of God. By mentioning their sisters and daughters, who also couldn't go to school, she makes them human rather than just a large, heartless terrorist group. Many might have been roped into the Taliban against their will, or joined it for protection. Overall this page combines the inhumane act that was committed against her while simultaneously granting her attackers humanity.

Snap 1

rooneyk3 — 2025-04-24 01:13:45 UTC

This page is important for this section because it is the first time Malala wakes up after the shooting took place. She didn't have her parents or anyone she knew, she was in a foreign country, and she was in a condition where she couldn't speak, and could barely hear and see. All of this together must have been terrifying. I was surprised that all of the events she described such as her first surgery and the process of getting her to Birmingham all happened in a week. This also shows her resilience because despite all of this she was still thanking God for her life, and went on to explain how she didn't show fear or pain through all her treatments.

Snap 2

rooneyk3 — 2025-04-24 01:17:40 UTC

This page is somewhat bittersweet. It shows her parents worry about their daughter, especially her fathers fear that she may never fully recover, but also Malala's resilience and ability to see the good in every situation. She explains that no matter what happens she will still be herself. The roles between her and her parents is also reversed here. Rather than parents comforting a sick child it is the other way around. Malala is the one reassuring her parents that she will always be their daughter, the same Malala, regardless of what happens.

Snap 3

rooneyk3 — 2025-04-24 01:22:55 UTC

I chose this page because it shows Malala's true character and how wise she is for her age. With her brush with death, she fully realizes all the amazing things God has given her. Her lips to speak her mind, feet to walk the road of life, ears to hear the words of love, etc. She also recognizes that she survived so she could continue to share her story and help others. The page also shows how through this horrible event she was able to connect with so many people and leverage her cause even further. It is clear how incredibly grateful she is for her life, and how she really wants to use every minute of it helping others.

Snap 4

rooneyk3 — 2025-04-24 01:27:15 UTC

This page includes a very famous quote, "One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world"(Yousafzai pg 310). This quote demonstrates the true power of education, and why every child deserves the right to go to school. This quote is also important because it encompasses Malala's entire message and cause into one sentence. Her activism for girls education has shaped parts of the world and continues to do so. She brought attention to the plight of Pakistani girls and millions of others around the world not through violence or hate, but through words, further proving her point that education is the greatest weapon.

Snap 5

rooneyk3 — 2025-04-24 01:34:23 UTC

I chose this page because it perfectly sums up Malala's message, and includes meaningful references to other important parts of the story. When she was younger she always wished she was taller in a physical sense, but she realized that God gave her the height of the sky. Not in the physical sense, but he gave her the ability to reach people all over the world with her words and actions. Finally, she alludes to the opening line of the story with her closing line, "I am Malala. My world has changed but I have not,"(Yousafzai 313). She rose through every hardship she experiences, every time she was cut down she got back up and kept going, and it is because of her that so much attention was drawn to the lack of girls education, and the terrors being caused by the Taliban. This final statement further shows her resilience and her ability to use her experiences as leverage for her cause.