‘I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban’

Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb

The story of a girl’s fight for female agency in Pakistan.

Malala Yousafzai, the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner, and Christina Lamb, a British journalist, penned a gripping memoir underlining the ongoing restriction of female autonomy in Pakistan. It began with anecdotes from Yousafzai’s childhood in Swat Valley, Pakistan, digging beyond her reputation as an education activist and immersing me in her history.

“I Am Malala” details the rising fear amid the Taliban’s forcible takeover of Swat and the accompanying violent threats against girls’ education. At 15, Yousafzai posted anonymous letters opposing the Taliban’s ban against girls attending school. That same year, the Taliban shot her on her way home from school. The shooting left her determined to use her platform to advocate for the universal right to education. 

Yousafzai’s heartwrenching account of terrorism in her country was tinged with hope in humanity. She ended her story by detailing her recovery in the U.K. and her continued fight for girls’ rights. As a female student, I valued Yousafzai’s worldwide advocacy efforts on topics meaningful to me. I finished her memoir sickened by the devastation in Pakistan yet grateful and full of admiration for Yousafzai’s courage.

‘Choosing to Run: A Memoir’ 

Des Linden and Bonnie D. Ford

A Latina runner’s journey to becoming a two-time Olympian and Boston Marathon champion

Chula Vista-native Des Linden unveiled her progress as a runner in this fast-paced autobiography — no pun intended. From anecdotes about playing soccer in childhood to breaking the 50-kilometer world record at 37 years old, Linden kept me hooked with her adrenaline-pumping stories. 

After running cross-country and track at Arizona State University, she quickly realized her talents lay in the marathon. During her time training to win the Boston Marathon, Linden competed in the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympics, and between races, she suffered from a fractured femur and hyperthyroidism. But she didn’t quit. After listening to her body during training and resting, along with an internal drive to achieve greatness, she ended up winning the Boston Marathon in 2018.

As an athlete, I understood Linden’s highs and lows of racing, and I finished this book in one afternoon. Her gradual maturation to understanding her body and her overall grit were heavily inspiring for my own training. “Choosing to Run” stood out to me as more than just an exploration of Linden’s physical limits, but also as a depiction of her growth in character. 

‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’ 

Maya Angelou

A Black American writer’s coming-of-age autobiography

One of the greatest American writers and poets, Maya Angelou’s 1969 autobiography spans from her childhood in the 1930s South to her teenage years in San Francisco.

Angelou’s prose was vivid and wise, and she perfectly captured the feeling of being a confused 7-year-old girl when she moved to live with her grandmother in Arkansas. I was immediately drawn to her younger self’s imagination and thoughtfulness, and I related to her character through the emotionally-rich first-person narrative.

After a year, Angelou moved back with her mother in Missouri, where she was sexually abused by an older man. The younger Angelou was mute for several years until her neighbor introduced her to poetry and literature. Angelou found solace in reading out loud and regained her voice by learning about different worlds and cultures. Exploring how to tell stories helped her put her own experience into words. 

By the end of the book, Angelou emerged as a more mature, empathetic person. This autobiography brimmed with her experiences in the 1940s, like her time as the first Black streetcar driver in San Francisco. I admired her ability to take her childhood moments — traumatizing or momentous — and turn them into a work of art. Her resilience in the face of people who underestimated her was emboldening. For days after I finished, I kept contemplating her enlightening experience of a woman of color growing up in a segregated America.