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

by Malala Yousafzai

“It’s a good thing to come in second,” he said. “Because you learn that if you can win, you can lose. And you should learn to be a good loser, not just a good winner.”

How had this happened? How did an unschooled fanatic turn himself into a kind of radio god? And why was no one prepared to defy him?

In a society where people believe girls are weak and not capable of anything except cooking and cleaning, you think, I have a talent. When a teacher tells you that all great leaders and scientists were once children, too, you think, Maybe we can be the great ones tomorrow. In a country where so many people consider it a waste to send girls to school, it is a teacher who helps you believe in your dreams.

One night, when a blast hit especially close to our home, I went to my father’s side. “Are you scared now?” I asked. “At night our fear is strong, jani,” he said. “But in the morning, in the light, we find our courage again.”

Meanwhile, even some of my friends asked why I let the world see my face. “Fazlullah’s men wear masks,” I said, “because they are criminals. But I have nothing to hide, and I have done nothing wrong. I’m proud to be a voice speaking out for girls’ education. And proud to show my identity.”

How had I become so bold? I wondered. “Well, Malala,” I told myself, “you’re not doing anything wrong. You are speaking for peace, for your rights, for the rights of girls. That’s not wrong. That’s your duty.”

On the trip back home, though, I asked myself what I would do if a Talib came to kill me. Well, I would just take my shoe and hit him. But then I thought: If you hit a Talib with your shoe, there is no difference between him and you. You must not treat others with cruelty. You must fight them with peace and dialogue. “Malala,” I said to myself. “Just tell him what is in your heart. That you want an education. For yourself. For all girls. For his sister, his daughter. For him.”

There was so much more I wanted to say to them. I had had time to get used to my new face. But it was a shock to them. I wanted them to know I didn’t care how I looked. Me, who had spent hours fussing with my hair and fretting about my height! When you see death, I wanted to say, things change. It didn’t matter if I couldn’t blink or smile. I was still me, Malala.

Truth will always triumph over falsehood. This is the true Islamic belief that has guided us on our journey.

At first, I wondered how I could ever be friends with these girls. I have seen and experienced things they couldn’t even imagine. But as time went on, I realized they have had experiences I can’t imagine. What I’m finding is that we have much more in common than we have different, and every day we learn something new from one another. And every day I feel a little bit more like plain old Malala, just another girl in the class.

So, yes, the Taliban have shot me. But they can only shoot a body. They cannot shoot my dreams, they cannot kill my beliefs, and they cannot stop my campaign to see every girl and every boy in school.

I was respectful, I believe, but I told him I did not like his drone strikes on Pakistan, that when they kill one bad person, innocent people are killed, too, and terrorism spreads more. I also told him that if America spent less money on weapons and war and more on education, the world would be a better place. If God has given you a voice, I decided, you must use it even if it is to disagree with the president of the United States.)

One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world.