Publishers Weekly - Audio
01/27/2014
Yousafzai, the Pakistani teen who captured worldwide attention and admiration after surviving a violent attack from militant forces opposed to female education in her region, introduces the audio edition of her memoir with the same enthusiastic oratorical style that characterized her appearance before the United Nations. Emmy-winner Panjabi (The Good Wife) reads with a balanced tone that manages to embody both Yousafzai’s youthful zeal and the seasoned perspective of coauthor and foreign correspondent Lamb. Panjabi’s narration effectively evokes the attachment of Yousafzai to her community, and her enunciation and pronunciation lends authenticity to the production. A helpful PDF with color photos, a glossary, and a timeline is also included. A Little, Brown hardcover. (Oct.)
From the Publisher
"The touching story will not only inform you of changing conditions in Pakistan, but inspire your rebellious spirit."—Matthew Love, Time Out New York
"Ms. Yousafzai has single-handedly turned the issue of the right of girls-and all children-to be educated into headline news. And she is a figure worth hearing."—Isabel Berwick, The Financial Times
"Wise beyond her years...."—Annie Gowen, Marie Claire
"Riveting.... Co-written with Christina Lamb, a veteran British journalist who has an evident passion for Pakistan and can render its complicated history with pristine clarity, this is a book that should be read not only for its vivid drama but for its urgent message about the untapped power of girls.... It is difficult to imagine a chronicle of a war more moving, apart from perhaps the diary of Anne Frank. With the essential difference that we lost that girl, and by some miracle, we still have this one."—Marie Arana, Washington Post
"Remarkable...a must-read, first-person account of her journey through global terrorism, her brave, encouraging parents, and her own fight for girls' education."—MarieClaire.com
"The victory of Malala Yousafzai is that she's just getting started."—Mary Elizabeth Williams, Salon
"Briskly written but full of arresting detail.... Striking [and] surprising..."—Jill Lawless, Associated Press
"Ms. Yousafzai's stature as a symbol of peace and bravery has been established across the world..."—Salman Masood, The New York Times
"Not only has Malala Yousafzai become an international symbol of inspiration and bravery, but her survival instilled educators with courage-and is slowly helping make Pakistani schools safer."—Nick Schifrin, ABC.com
"For a teenage girl in a distant corner of the globe to spark life into this movement-against overwhelming odds-is truly extraordinary. The world must not allow Malala's message to die."—Dallas Morning News
"Her powerful message remains undiluted."—Tina Jordan, Entertainment Weekly
"In simple, clear writing, I AM MALALA gives a rare and moving first-person glance into what it's like to be a teenager in a country seized by extremists who stand against the basic freedoms you believe in."—Krystin Arneson, Bustle
"Malala matters....In her modesty and dignity, she should be Islam's beloved daughter, her journey a return to the early promise of Muslim modernism."—Fouad Ajami, New York Post
"Incredibly inspirational.... Malala is intelligent and fiery with dreams of changing the world, but the book has the added benefit of being a true story that is easily interwoven with important global issues such as human rights, development, education, and peace.... If there is one thing that I AM MALALA should teach us, it is to look beyond Manichean narratives of good and evil. It is important to applaud Malala for the awareness she has built around important issues like education for young women."—Cristina Maza, PolicyMic
"Riveting.... [Malala's] clear voice [is] beautifully captured by Lamb."—Rafia Zakaria, Ms. Magazine
"A gripping story.... What makes this book so important is not just the universal value of Malala's cause.... It's the relevance of her story to one of the most vexing security questions in today's crazy world...."—Trudy Rubin, Philadelphia Inquirer
"An inspiring, clearly written memoir that offers a glimpse of an extraordinary young woman and the confounding world from which she comes."—Karen Sandstrom, Cleveland Plain Dealer
"One hears some ghosts of Anne Frank in reading I AM MALALA, the flightiness, effervescence and, well...girlishness of an adolescent girl flung once again the indifferent violence of inhuman men, like flowers hurled against a stone wall."—Leonard Pitts Jr., Miami Herald
"An eye-opener in the fight for girls' education equality."—More
"The voice that beams, 'I am Malala' is the voice that continues to meet the assassin's challenge. It is the voice of a courageous campaigner who still fights for girls' education. The voice of an icon who may one day be able to return to her country, but who even from afar symbolizes its noblest cause."—Shehryar Fazli, Los Angeles Review of Books
"A story for each and every girl who chooses to break societal taboos, challenge the clergy, declare war against illiteracy and believe in the power of the pen."—Daud Khattak, Newark Star Ledger
"[A] vivid autobiography.... Yousafzai possesses an eloquence beyond her years, but her touching asides drive home the fact that she's also very much a 16-year-old girl.... Captivating and surprisingly personal."—Erika W. Smith, Bust
"Like millions around the world, I draw strength from brave Malala's example.... Malala is a testament that women everywhere will not be intimidated into silence. We will make our voices heard."—Gabrielle Giffords, Time magazine's "TIME 100"
"Compelling. It's a brave girl's tale in an unsafe country, and it reveals her fierce determination to make the world a better place."—Michael Taube, Washington Times
"How did Yousafzai have the courage, at 15, to stand up to the Taliban in her native Pakistan? Her memoir, written less than a year after she nearly died for her efforts, will open your eyes."—People
Annie Gowen
"Wise beyond her years...."
Isabel Berwick
"Ms. Yousafzai has single-handedly turned the issue of the right of girls--and all children--to be educated into headline news. And she is a figure worth hearing."
Matthew Love
"The touching story will not only inform you of changing conditions in Pakistan, but inspire your rebellious spirit."
Washington Post
"Her riveting story should be read not only for its vivid drama but also for its urgent message about the untapped power of girls."
Shehryar Fazli
"The voice that beams, 'I am Malala' is the voice that continues to meet the assassin's challenge. It is the voice of a courageous campaigner who still fights for girls' education. The voice of an icon who may one day be able to return to her country, but who even from afar symbolizes its noblest cause."
More
"An eye-opener in the fight for girls' education equality."
Leonard Pitts Jr.
"One hears some ghosts of Anne Frank in reading I AM MALALA, the flightiness, effervescence and, well...girlishness of an adolescent girl flung once again the indifferent violence of inhuman men, like flowers hurled against a stone wall."
Karen Sandstrom
"An inspiring, clearly written memoir that offers a glimpse of an extraordinary young woman and the confounding world from which she comes."
Trudy Rubin
"A gripping story.... What makes this book so important is not just the universal value of Malala's cause.... It's the relevance of her story to one of the most vexing security questions in today's crazy world...."
Rafia Zakaria
"Riveting.... [Malala's] clear voice [is] beautifully captured by Lamb."
Cristina Maza
"Incredibly inspirational.... Malala is intelligent and fiery with dreams of changing the world, but the book has the added benefit of being a true story that is easily interwoven with important global issues such as human rights, development, education, and peace.... If there is one thing that I AM MALALA should teach us, it is to look beyond Manichean narratives of good and evil. It is important to applaud Malala for the awareness she has built around important issues like education for young women."
Fouad Ajami
"Malala matters....In her modesty and dignity, she should be Islam's beloved daughter, her journey a return to the early promise of Muslim modernism."
Krystin Arneson
"In simple, clear writing, I AM MALALA gives a rare and moving first-person glance into what it's like to be a teenager in a country seized by extremists who stand against the basic freedoms you believe in."
Tina Jordan
"Her powerful message remains undiluted."
Dallas Morning News
"For a teenage girl in a distant corner of the globe to spark life into this movement-against overwhelming odds-is truly extraordinary. The world must not allow Malala's message to die."
Nick Schifrin
"Not only has Malala Yousafzai become an international symbol of inspiration and bravery, but her survival instilled educators with courage-and is slowly helping make Pakistani schools safer."
Salman Masood
"Ms. Yousafzai's stature as a symbol of peace and bravery has been established across the world..."
Jill Lawless
"Briskly written but full of arresting detail.... Striking [and] surprising..."
Mary Elizabeth Williams
"The victory of Malala Yousafzai is that she's just getting started."
MarieClaire.com
"Remarkable...a must-read, first-person account of her journey through global terrorism, her brave, encouraging parents, and her own fight for girls' education."
Marie Arana
"Riveting.... Co-written with Christina Lamb, a veteran British journalist who has an evident passion for Pakistan and can render its complicated history with pristine clarity, this is a book that should be read not only for its vivid drama but for its urgent message about the untapped power of girls.... It is difficult to imagine a chronicle of a war more moving, apart from perhaps the diary of Anne Frank. With the essential difference that we lost that girl, and by some miracle, we still have this one."
Kate Zabinsky
"Malala....has done more to legitimize the 'war on terror' than any politicians in Washington."
Library Journal - Audio
★ 02/01/2014
In October 2012, 15-year-old activist Yousafzai was shot in the head by the Taliban in her home city of Mingora, Pakistan. The world watched as she was taken to England for treatment and ultimately recovered from her wound. Cowritten with journalist Lamb, this work is much more than the story of Yousafzai's young life. Her narrative examines and elaborates on politics, Pakistan's history, friendship, faith, and, above all else, the need for education for girls. Following in her outspoken father's footsteps, Yousafzai uses every opportunity to champion the cause for which she became a target. While most of the book is well read by actress Archie Panjabi, the prolog, in which Yousafzai narrates the story of her shooting, is particularly powerful. VERDICT Listeners will find a wealth of inspirational material in Yousafzai's story, but the best moments are those in which she steps back from discussions of dissension and Taliban brutality and reveals herself to be an ordinary, Twilight-loving girl.—Anna Mickelsen, Springfield City Lib., MA
Library Journal
On October 9, 2012, the teenaged Yousafzai was very nearly assassinated by members of the Taliban who objected to her education and women's rights activism in Pakistan. Currently, she lives in England, under threat of execution by the Taliban if she returns home. Lamb, who has been reporting from Pakistan for 26 years and was named Foreign Correspondent of the Year five times, helps Yousafzai tell her hugely significant story.
DECEMBER 2013 - AudioFile
Narrator Archie Panjabi is an excellent choice to deliver this memoir of the Pakistani girl who stood up to the Taliban. Her voice is youthful, lilting, and buoyant, invoking the key qualities of the now well-known young woman who, at the age of 15, was shot three times in the face by the Taliban because she actively advocated education for girls. Panjabi narrates with vigor; rapid sentences and warm tones evoke Malala's persona. The listener has the feeling of being told this story by Malala herself rather than by an actor, which is the best type of audiobook. Those who want to hear more about Afghanistan, Pakistan’s Swat Valley, or the family behind this courageous young person will not be disappointed. M.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine
