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Summary: Chapter 18 (The Woman and the Sea)
Malala expresses her frustration that the opportunities and experiences of most Pakistani women are dependent on the permission of men. For example, because her aunt’s husband doesn’t take her to the sea, her aunt doesn’t get to see the ocean for thirty years despite living in seaside Karachi. In 2012, Malala and her family fly for the first time, going to Karachi for the opening of a school named for Malala. Karachi, Pakistan’s first capital and the city with the largest Pashtun population, has become a violent place. Malala’s family feels upset to see a celebratory photo of a governor who committed murder.
Malala visits the tomb of Pakistan’s founder Mohammad Al Jinnah, and describes the tumultuous history of her country, where there is endless fighting between the Pashtuns and mohajirs (people who emigrated to Pakistan and their descendants) as well as between the Sunnis and Shias. Now, the Taliban impose their own harsh interpretation of the Quran. Malala highlights other problems, such as the lack of education, the high rate of illiteracy, the unreliable electricity, and the high murder rate. Even though the Taliban have gone into hiding, they increasingly target their critics. The Taliban are now focused on Malala, accusing her of supporting Western secularism.
Summary: Chapter 19 (A Private Talibanization)
Malala describes a school field trip to lush Marghazar. The following day, Ziauddin receives an anonymous letter accusing the Khushal School of offending God by allowing the female students to behave indecently. Ziauddin affirms the girls’ right to enjoy a field trip, telling them the letter is propaganda from Mullah Fazlullah. But the letter gives Ziauddin more reasons to worry. The intelligence service visits him, asking a lot of questions about his family, school, and peace work.
That July, Malala turns fifteen, the age of adulthood in Islam. Increasingly, individuals who criticize the militants or the army are threatened. This reality is confirmed when Ziauddin’s friend and fellow activist, Zahid Khan, is shot. Ziauddin ignores his own safety when he visits his friend in the hospital and refuses police security. Ziauddin doesn’t want to leave Swat because of all his leadership work, but in an effort to stay safe, he does vary his routine. When Zahid Khan recovers, he continues to speak out against the Taliban and the intelligence agencies, which he believes support the Taliban. Malala gets hassled by Haroon, an older boy who likes her, an event that will soon seem like a small problem for Malala.
Summary: Chapter 20 (Who Is Malala?)
Malala and her math teacher, Miss Shazia, begin to experience frightening premonitions. Malala takes extra precautions at night, ensuring the house is locked and praying for safety. She then provides details about the end of exam day in October 2012, when two men stop her school bus near an army checkpoint. One man boards the bus, asks who Malala is, and shoots her.
Analysis
When Malala’s family visits her Aunt Najma, Malala makes a bold statement regarding women’s independence in Pakistan. Malala asserts that the relationship between husband and wife is an instance in which the Quran is misused at the expense of women. The freedom of women is dependent on them being able to make their own decisions, but militants claim the Quran requires women to live a subservient life. Because of how her parents chose to raise her, Malala has always known a life of independence. She has been encouraged to pursue education and has not been forced to cover her head or observe purdah. She laments that most of the women around her do not even know this freedom is possible. She desperately wants to change this for them. This is one of many events during this time in Malala’s life when a simple visit or interaction increases the urgency of her work. She is quickly becoming not only a voice for education but for women’s rights as well.
As she gets further into her history of becoming an activist, Malala’s story becomes less about herself and more about the effect of her work, showing that Malala’s goal is progress, not notoriety. During Malala’s visit to Karachi, she attends an assembly where she is treated as a guest of honor. With characteristic humility, Malala subtly mentions giving a speech about education and that there will be a school named after her. While she admits that seeing her name on the school is “odd and wonderful,” she remains stoic. Malala simply reports the facts and moves on to the next challenge without basking in her own glory. On the same trip, Malala visits the tomb of the founder of Pakistan, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, and she laments that Jinnah would be disappointed by the current state of Pakistan because he wanted the people of the country to be independent and tolerant of one another’s views. By paying homage to Jinnah, Malala places her personal story in the context of Pakistan’s history. Just as evil continues to attack Pakistan, so do brave leaders keep standing up to defend her.
Everything Malala experiences prepares her to deal with the shooting like a true hero. When Malala learns of serious threats against her life, she acknowledges that everyone faces death and decides that losing her life in the pursuit of freedom is worth the risk. Mirroring her father’s refusal to surrender, she stays outspoken. In some ways, her strength even surpasses her father’s. After his friend Zahid Khan is shot, Ziauddin worries as he assumes he will be shot next, but Malala looks beyond herself. She prays not just for her own safety but for all people across the world. Her description of the day of her shooting emphasizes how much it is like any other morning, implying that in Pakistan, citizens deal with this level of terrorism daily. Mundane details like the exam she took that morning paired with her humble tone reinforce Malala’s suggestion that she is not inherently extraordinary. Girls like Malala are murdered so regularly that it has become a norm. Malala realizes that the only way to change the world is to stay fearless even as the attacks worsen. Her personal experiences have given her the confidence to be the fearless leader she needs.
