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

Thought-provoking, shocking, empowering. Malala Yousafzai's account of her childhood and life growing up in Pakistan is riveting. By the final pages, I learned about Pakistan's history, Islam, the Taliban, how 9/11 affected more than just the U.S. and so much more. It's an educational outlet and yet keeps your attention throughout the entire book. It did not once reach a point where I was ready to put the book down. I wanted to keep learning and cheering Malala on within the pages of the book to fight for education. She is absolutely correct- education is a basic right and we need to fight for it. One of the biggest issues, I believe, is ignorance. I had no idea a law actually existed in a country where girls could not go to school or it was unsafe to leave their houses alone. This exists. 

This book should be required reading for every human being. It brings awareness to the today's culture outside of America or where-ever you may be. It made me want to stand up and fight for change. We take school for granted here in America - more than for granted - most students at some point complain about going to school. But Malala fought for that education every day, Pakistani girls risked their lives to continue going to school. They fought for what we so much take for granted and take advantage of each day - learning, studying, educating. 

Her book is incredibly moving, I'm ready to stand up and fight for girls' education. While I'm not in school anymore, I'm not going to be taking advantage of the right for education again. Education is not a luxury, it is a right deserved by all.