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Summary: Chapter 23 (“The Girl Shot in the Head, Birmingham”)
Malala wakes from her induced coma on October 16, 2012, far from home and without her family. While she is relieved to be alive, she is also frightened, disoriented, and filled with questions. She wonders where her father is and worries about how her family will pay for her care. She also realizes that the left side of her face doesn’t move. Meanwhile, her family continues to worry from afar in Pakistan, rarely receiving updates about Malala’s condition.
Ziauddin becomes angry when he learns that contrary to what the army claims, the Taliban remain in Mingora and are responsible for the shooting of Malala and his friend, Zahid Khan. When Dr. Fiona finally tells Malala what happened to her, Malala doesn’t feel angry or deterred from her work. Politics and bureaucracy continue to detain Malala’s family, though talking with Malala by phone eases their frustration and concern. While Malala waits, the hospital staff tends to her needs, and Malala learns to walk again.
Malala receives an outpouring of international support, and many people send messages, cards, and gifts. Most meaningfully, she receives two shawls that belonged to Benazir Bhutto. Malala realizes that this international support helped save her life.
Summary: Chapter 24 (“They Have Snatched Her Smile”)
Malala and her family have a tearful, happy reunion. Seeing Malala’s appearance, Ziauddin observes that the Taliban stole her smile. Later, however, Malala’s smile returns after an operation repairs her severed facial nerve. Malala works hard at recovery and goes to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. The family learns that a Talib, Ataullah Khan, is responsible for her shooting. While Khan is still at large, the school bus driver has been detained by the police despite having done nothing wrong.
The United Nations designates November 10 as Malala Day. Malala gets a visit from Pakistan’s president, Asif Zardari, who explains that Pakistan will pay Malala’s medical bills. He also gives Ziauddin a diplomatic passport and a job as an education attaché. This action allows Malala’s family to stay in England without seeking asylum. In another surgery, the missing part of Malala’s skull is covered with a titanium plate, and a cochlear implant returns hearing to her damaged left eardrum. Finally, in the beginning of 2013, Malala can leave the hospital. She and her family start a new life in an apartment in the center of Birmingham. Malala feels more determined than ever to use her life to help people.
Analysis
Because Malala survived an attempted murder, she considers the next part of her life not as a continuation but as a “second life.” The outpouring of support, letters, and most important, prayers that she receives from around the world genuinely surprises Malala. She had no idea how many people were aware of her work. Malala now understands that the results of her activism are not limited to Pakistan. Instead, her work affects marginalized people everywhere. She works as an activist so that others can access education and equality, and now people have returned the favor when she needs it. She believes that people all over the world have had a hand in saving her through their prayers. The result is a bigger voice and a larger audience than before. Ironically, in trying to silence Malala, the Taliban has amplified her message and given Malala even more motivation to continue. Her platform grows exponentially, and even while she is still in the hospital, Malala is able to capitalize on her new notoriety. As always, she remains humble and unassuming, even as her activism campaign becomes international.
Malala is rarely emotional in her autobiography, but her reunion with her parents is a poignant exception. She cries for the second time in the book. Malala has been missing a part of her while she was separated from her parents. The scene is one of the few instances when Malala appears as a young girl as opposed to the confident, well-spoken woman she has become. The fear and anxiety she felt during the weeks she spent alone in the hospital have taken a toll on her. While her parents are troubled by her appearance, Malala has faced death and is unconcerned about something that now seems so trivial. With her parents and also her beloved books back in her possession, Malala’s recovery receives a boost. In January of 2013, Malala leaves the hospital, and she and her family finally live under the same roof again. They face the transition of adjusting to life in England together. Ziauddin keeps ties with Pakistan when he accepts a job with his government but living in England is the ultimate displacement for the family. They are fish out of water in England and are scandalized by the very different way of life. It is in stark contrast to the conservative community Malala once called home.
