Book Club: January 2015

If you've read my post "The Women Behind the Blog," then you've seen that I participate in a local book club. I have always loved to read, but as my life becomes seemingly busier, I don't take as much time to get lost in a good book as I would like. Joining my book club has been a great way to push myself to do so. I also enjoy the social aspect of meeting up to eat and discuss the book, as well as the push it gives me to branch out and read a book I wouldn't ordinarily select for myself.

I thought I could virtually share a bit of these perks with you (a look into books you may not have heard of or thought about reading), as well as the social aspect through comments and social media interaction.

Our book for January is "I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban," and so far it's fantastic. I am about half way through, but am finding it to be one of those books you have to read "just one more chapter."

The two aspects I find most intriguing about it are first, that it is a true story written by the girl that lived it firsthand (Malala, who is also the youngest person to ever receive a Nobel Peace Prize), and two, that it has already taught me more than I previously knew about the War on Terror and the happenings Pakistan and Afghanistan from a local's perspective.

Amazon writes:

"I come from a country that was created at midnight. When I almost died it was just after midday."

When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education.

On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, when she was fifteen, she almost paid the ultimate price. She was shot in the head at point-blank range while riding the bus home from school, and few expected her to survive.

Instead, Malala's miraculous recovery has taken her on an extraordinary journey from a remote valley in northern Pakistan to the halls of the United Nations in New York. At sixteen, she became a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest nominee ever for the Nobel Peace Prize.

I AM MALALA is the remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls' education, of a father who, himself a school owner, championed and encouraged his daughter to write and attend school, and of brave parents who have a fierce love for their daughter in a society that prizes sons.

I AM MALALA will make you believe in the power of one person's voice to inspire change in the world.



I would highly recommend this book if you're searching for an interesting, inspiring, and educational book!

Until next time - -