I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World by Malala Yousafzai and Patricia McCormick Review

I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World

by Malala Yousafzai and Patricia McCormick

An ilovemys(h)elf Review

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Edition: Audiobook, Young Readers Edition

# of Pages: 240

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Recommend?: Yes

We tend to remember the happiest, saddest, surprising, often the most tragic aspects of our pasts. In other words, we find the rather extreme moments in our lives to be the most memorable.

With that being said, I remember the first time I had learned about Malala Yousafzai and the tragedy that had struck her, and the unmatched unique bravery that led her to challenge the radical, discriminatory, and questionable theology of the Taliban.

If anything Malala's life is a testimony, a token to all the men, women, boys, and girls who have stood up for what is right and who have spoken out against injustice, but were unfortunately silenced permanently by the forces of terrorism. 

"We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced."

Yousafzai's situations weren't perfect, but they were favorable:

1) Her wonderful father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, was an activist for female education, and as a result continued to encourage Malala's efforts in school.

2) Malala also had a deep love and enjoyed receiving an education (a right that is often taken for granted in many areas of the world).

3) Her family did not use the Quran against Malala, but rather, for her. 

4) Above all, The Yousafzai’s were hardly coaxed with fear; these people pushed through the hateful attacks and threats. 

Malala’s family is a great example of the fearlessness we need more of in this world. 

I Am Malala's Malala Yousafzai

Before reading this book, I did not understand why first learning about Malala seemed like such a monumental time in my life. Her story not only sent shivers down my spine, but it reminded me what ‘being good’ really means in such a horrid world. I now know why her story means something to me. Malala is a humble, fearless, and inspiring political figure who not only survived a bullet to the head (!!) but also exceeded the worldly expectations that the Taliban and the rest of Pakistan had of her. 

As I said, Malala is a testimony. She is a testimony to not only the courageous men and women that have passed but to the all of us. Her story is a testimony of what can happen when you defy injustice and remain rounded in the rights that you were born with. 

The book was an experience for me because, before reading her memoir, the only things I knew about Malala were things you could get off unreliable Wikipedia pages. 

You learn that Yousafzai, although extraordinary at her age, had dreams and hopes that aren’t so different to ours.

Although the book is not as inspiring as Yousafzai’s story, there is a looming sense of greatness, struggle, and courage between the lines of every page.

"The Pen is Mightier than the Sword"

Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay Review

Bad Feminist

by Roxane Gay

An ilovemys(h)elf Review

Publisher: Harper Perennial

Edition: Paperback

# of Pages: 320

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Recommend?: Yes

There is no doubt in the power nor the timeliness of Bad Feminist; her essays span from a number of years and a multitude of experiences. Throughout the novel, we not only become intrigued with her sincerity, but by her witticism, keen eye for observation, and critical analyses of past and current prevailing social phenomenons and norms (this spans from her take on competitive scrabble to her fault-findings in Tyler Perry movies). Every word is written with an almost delicate carelessness as if to reassure the reader at each turn of the page that they aren't necessarily reading a book (a nonfiction book centered on social commentary at that), but engaging in a conversation. The rhythm, style, and manner in which Gay handles Bad Feminist is in my earnest opinion, impeccable, and at the same time highly flawed. This; however, does not take away any ‘feminist’ credibility away from the novel, but rather adds to it. After all, she is a bad feminist.

Bad Feminist's, Roxane Gay

★★★★

“I believe feminism is grounded in supporting the choices of women even if we wouldn’t make certain choices for ourselves.”

I understand where Gay comes from on many topics. I understand her resentment for the lack of race diversity in TV shows such as Girls that claim to be “new, socially risky, and different”. I agree that a lot of our favorite childhood stories are completely void of racial diversity, fall into the bell curve of social norms, and do not provide an accurate depiction of our flawed world. Her stance on movies vary in range. She does not appreciate movie makers such as Tyler Perry, whose movies tend to be racially diverse, but whose humor is based on faulty and old stereotypical views on blacks, whites, women, men, and the American middle class. I agree with her notion that there a lot of bad feminists in our midst, some who are obviously worse than others. I agree that there is no such thing as the perfect feminist and that feminism, just like any other social movement in recent and distant history, is flawed.

I understand where Gay is coming from in a great portion of the book.

That actually happened to be a problem for me, and ultimately is the reason why I did not give this book 5 stars. There was nothing to combat. The book is too much in line with the status quo. No matter how 'good' the status quo may be, I have a problem with writers always lining up with the thoughts of the majority. I’m not anxious to read a book I’m bound to wholeheartedly agree with or disagree with because that tends to leave no leeway for the reader’s thoughts to get in. Like I said, this book is conversational, but I felt like I was having a conversation with the everyday educated feminist. I like books that give me a middle-ground. Give me controversy!

Besides that, this book still manages to hit very high points.

Gay has strong stances on feminism but then uses the word 'silly' in relation to 'girly'. I cringed at what I hope was an innocent mistake; but, it just goes to emphasize her self-proclaimed label as a 'bad feminist'. The book is genius when it comes to her blatant honesty. She's not afraid to admit her flaws and faults as a feminist, and also as an overall social justice warrior type human being. She is honest with her past which is filled with an all familiar story of being the daughter of immigrants; she tells us about her past with her weight, her past with sex, with relationships, boys, school, and whatnot. She inundates the novel with truth.  

Gay manages to be honest.

And that is one of the most important traits a memoir should acquire.

I wish however, that Gay invested more of her time actually talking about feminism. For a book that is supposed to be grounded in the fact that Gay is a feminist, she does very little talking about it. I appreciate her talks on scrabble, race, and sexuality, but I just wish that there was a little more ‘feminist discussions’ throughout the novel. I wish she connected more things to the movement of feminism. Gay offers a new stance to the feminist movement; she is a colored second generation immigrant who isn't afraid to concede to the fact that the feminist movement has its faults. Gay offers a fresh voice to feminism, but I wish I had heard more if that voice.

Overall, the novel was a great read. Gay has a precise, and often funny perspective on society and the movements that has been broken down and built up by and because of it.