Such a powerful line from Malala: "Education is education. We should learn everything and then choose which path to follow. Education is neither Eastern nor Western, it is human" (162). There is SO MUCH about life that seems to polarized. We like to categorize, organize, identify, label, for the sake of easing the complexities of our world. However, in attempt to understand, we've split, divided, and pierced the very marrow of our humanity. It shouldn't be "us versus them." I hope that, like Malala, we can learn to see life as life, and each other as fellow humans.

Wow. As Malala recounts her memory (Chapter 9) of how the Taliban stealthily moved in and took over the minds and hearts of the area, I cannot help but think of George Orwell's 1984.  They paraded as devout, pure reformers. Their message is to improve the morality and adherence to doctrine. They target the corruption of the governing class. They work to sound like friends. Until they gain enough power to then be barbaric. Then they force people to help build their empire. Then they make threats to any who don't listen to their message. Then they police the public areas, burn symbols of infidelity, encourage brutality, and hinder education. All of this paraded under a saintly facade of religious morality. Hm. Perhaps this isn't the first time such a situation has occurred. And certainly doesn't sound too far off from current events.

Natural Disasters. Even if you have a warning, as is often the case with hurricanes, or tornadoes, many times they still create chaos and loss of life. With an earthquake, there is often no warning, and they can be devastating, as was the case with the 2005 earthquake  near Malala's home. The political climate of Pakistan was in unrest. Religion was causing major contention. The economy is poor. And then Mother Nature creates a mess with everything else. Times like these are often a major catalyst for change. People come together to solve problems, help victims, rebuild. Other times, people take advantage of the weakness and struggles and exploit them for their own gain. Malala hints that many organizations, especially military or staunchly religious factions do these very things. I know it doesn't end well, which is so frustrating.

"The Quran teaches us sabar --patience--but often it feels that we have forgotten the word and think Islam means women sitting at home in purdah [separation] or wearing burqas while men do jihad" (chapter 7). I find this chapter striking. Not only is there so much infighting and bloodiness in the history of Malala's home nation, but she also shows her level of perspective on their religion. She mentions here how of-base many had become in how they pursue their faith. Things became difficult for her father to run the school as perspectives on who should attend his school and how they should do so were "controversial." Her father was perceptive, seeing that tensions were growing and they were at risk.  At the end of the chapter she mentions the attacks from the US and how destructive and volatile they were to the fragile balance of culture, power, and peace. Perhaps they were just the (unnecessary?) spark that caused the fire to finally be lit--if we look ...

Malala includes two of Lincoln's quotes (p 78-9), which I find to be wonderfully profound and useful: "It is far more honorable to fail than to cheat." "Teach him how to gracefully lose." And I'll add this third: Life is full of challenges, some minor, some catastrophic. Growth often happens as the result of pain. But if we are not careful, pain leads to bitterness, which can often lead to disrespect and hate. Here's to Malala, for allowing her pain to lead her to growth, and may we all learn to do the same.

Why do our cultures (whether American, Indian, Middle Eastern, etc.) feel the need to express power by using humans as bargaining tools? Malala explains that women (or girls) were used to resolve tribal feuds. She says that "it is officially banned but still continues" (pg 67). She tells another story of a girl who was seen flirting and they discovered she was later poisoned by her family as such conduct is shameful. She explains that the Taliban banned women from laughing out loud. They burned girls' schools. Women had to wear burqas. Here in America there are similar oppressing practices that hurt humanity: sex-trafficking and abortion, to name the big ones. I get so infuriated when I see how people treat those with less power than themselves. Leaders, people who hold influence (or any human really), show their true character when faced with the care of someone who cannot repay them. Why does power or control over another human's life become so alluring? I...