Plucked from the middle of the TBR because I won her Dad’s book on NetGalley (I have read that now but am going to review it for Shiny New Books so will share my review there when it’s done – I’m glad I read this one first). It does feel like I’m the last person to read this book, so I was pleased when Gill brought it to put on the coffee house shelves and I could grab it, especially as Malala moved to Birmingham when she came to the UK for medical treatment, and I wanted to read about what she thought of our city.

Malala Yousafzai with Christina Lamb – “I am Malala”

(3 Dec 2018 – BookCrossing)

The updated autobiography of the famous advocate for girls’ education in Pakistan, including her journey for treatment and new life here in Birmingham (I’m glad she likes our city, on the whole). Her story and personality are remarkable but her father comes across as remarkable, too (on a side note, I was a bit shocked to realise he’s about my age! But of course he is!). I hadn’t realised that she’d made a film with the BBC and produced a diary of life under the Taliban’s rule for them, too, so it made more sense about her coming here.

I was proud to read about the care she had from medical staff here (including the Muslim chaplain and various nurses who found food and care for her) and I liked her relationships with her old friends, still going strong. It’s well done as there’s enough history and cultural stuff to explain the background but all related to Malala and her family, and enough detail on the violence and repression to make an impression, but never gratuitous.

She comes over as a very normal young woman as well as an exceptional one, and it’s a great read that I highly recommend.