I am Malala: Book Review

Book Reviewed By: Anuradha Malhotra

Title: I am Malala

Editor: Anoop Kamath
Publisher: Aether Books
Price: Rs. 295/-
Pages: 160

Rating: 4.5 on 5 stars

‘I am Malala’: A book about a simple girl from the terror-stricken Swat Valley of Pakistan, who dared to pen down a blog against the world’s most brutal and hideous terrorist group, Taliban. A girl, all of 11, who refused to bow before an unlawful edict that stated that it is crime for a girl above 13 to attend school. A girl who was shot brutally when she was in her school bus and is currently recovering in the Queen Elizabeth hospital in Birmingham.

About the front cover: A chubby-faced Malala Yousafzai dressed in her school uniform is sitting on a chair, exhuming both poise and intelligence. The cover catches the lovely expression of her face and you already know that she is a confident child that knows what she wants from life!

Titbits about the book: You can read the book in one go, thanks to a total of 160 pages, including the black & white photographs of Malala covering some important events of her life. The text is written in plain English, easy enough for a layman to understand. It is divided into several chapters, with many of them written who were directly or indirectly involved with Malala’s life.

Style: ‘I am Malala’ is not written in a stereotypical style: it’s not a complete autobiography of her. To tell the truth, there are so many things that have been sewn together. You have excerpts from her diary; narrations of the fateful day; view points of important personalities like Gordon Brown, Owais Tohid, Zofeen T. Ebrahim; two heart touching poems; the story of her recovery; her interview and press statement. The style followed in the book is mostly narrative.

Her Take on Taliban and Other Things:

Her angst against the terrorist group is clearly reflected when she says, “Sometimes I imagine I’m going along and the Taliban stop me. I take my sandal and hit them on the face and say what you’re doing is wrong. Education is our right, don’t take it from us. There is this quality in me – I’m ready for all situations. So even if (God let this not happen) they kill me, I’ll first say to them, what you’re doing is wrong.”

At other place, she writes: “How dare the Taliban take away my basic right to education?”

Malala also talks of her dreams, her childhood days, and the beautiful places she has been to. She writes in her diary what she wants to change in the present socio-political system of Pakistan; how the terror has affected thousands of families in her country and how she longs for peace to return in enamouring Swat Valley. 

An Eye Opener: The reader comes to know the grave issues that terror-stricken Pakistan has been facing: restriction of women’s space in every sphere, beheadings, slaughters, rape stories, low attendances in school, ban on colourful cloths for girls while going to school, and a lot more. Over 150 schools have been bombed since 2008 and that 67% of women in the country are illiterate, 52% are not enrolled and 62% are out of school!

After you are done reading it, you know all what people from Swat valley have been facing from years and how the attempt on Malala’s life shook the world. How the incident invited the worldwide criticism of the shameful act by Taliban and how the people sitting on prominent positions throughout the world united hands and do colossal efforts to let every child get education.

What More? There is an Interview of Abdul Hai Kakar, the former BBC Urdu service reporter: how he met Malala and what was the impact of her diary in Pak. A few chapters from Gordon Brown, UN special envoy for global education, who did tireless efforts to make the right to education implemented for every girl by 2015. He got the petitions signed by millions of people who supported him in his cause. There is another interview of Malala who talks about her personal life, her take on the things, the fears she has, and what she wants to change.

Her father’s take on the incident: A straight from the heart talk by her father and his thanksgiving to all who supported her daughter and prayed for her recovery.

Then a few pages have been dedicated to the day by day happenings from January to March, 2009.
A separate page is dedicated exclusively to the accolades she has won, including the prestigious nomination for International Children’s Peace prize, in which she stood as the runner up.

What can be a Little Annoying: The information in different chapters is repetitive and sometimes, you feel that you have all the facts on your fingers by the time you are through it.

Why Read It? A brief account of everything related to Malala’s life and the fateful day. Towards the end, you only get inspired from her on how she kept the courage to criticize Taliban in their face, despite being only a child of 11.

 Rating: 4.5

You may find the following documentary named ‘Class Dismissed’ by Adam B. Ellick interesting enough to watch:

http://educationenvoy.org/press/new-york-times-class-dismissed

Related articles

• Angelina Jolie Lends Support To Malala Fund (eurasiareview.com)

Book Review: The Witch of Portobello

 

Title: The Witch of Portobello
Author: Paulo Coelho
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers
ISBN: 9780007257449
Price: Rs. 296/-
Pages: 352
Rating: 3.5 on 5

Though his new book ‘Manuscript Found in Accra’ has hit the stores, many of you may not have read his ‘The Witch of the Portobello.’  Get to read the book review here, if you are going to buy it.                                                                                         

‘The Witch of the Portobello’ is one of those books that dig deep into the mysteries of the transcendental world. In this thought-provoking book, the author has beautifully blended the mundane life with the esoteric, and the one-dimensional aspect of a mortal being with the complexities of the supernatural world. The main protagonist, Athena or Sherin Khalil, is the adopted gypsy girl from Transylvania. She, as a child, sees invisible angels and untoward happenings; this is just the beginning of her contemplative nature that she develops fully later in life. On her journey of self-knowledge, she develops skills like dance and calligraphy: the arts that help her to connect with the divine power and invoke the spirits.

What does the author try to convey?  Writing about the paranormal happenings and the spiritual awakening has always been the forte of Paulo Coelho. In this book too, he tries to convey to the readers that divine powers are vested in all of us and that we need to look at the world from an altogether different perspective. And he does so by penning down the view points of different characters about Athena and the incidents that shape her chosen path.

Character Delineation: The only character in the book that has been delineated in detail is that of Athena. From the descriptions given by protagonists like Samira Khalil (her mother), Heron Ryan (her admirer), Andrea (Heron’s wife), and Edda (doctor), we come to know about her childhood, background, character traits, her way of looking at things, and her special ability to invoke the spirits. While in the state of trance, she speaks and behaves very differently. We come to know of her adamant attitude and her desire to know about the deeper meanings of life. The other characters simple play the role of tale-telling. Nothing much is revealed about them except how are they related to her.

About Theme and How it Develops? The central theme of the book is transformation of human soul by self-discovery. The author has woven it around Athena, the main character. Each chapter is focused on the narration of the incidents happening in her life, as told by people related to her directly or indirectly. This way of Coelho to weave the theme is not only unique but also helps the readers understand the central character from several stances. The story does not run in chronological order; it alternates between the descriptions of different protagonists, one after the other, but not in any specific order.

Style: The book follows the narrative style: different characters narrate the story from their point of view. Though there is no definite beginning or an interval, the plot has many actions and conflicts. The descriptions are interspersed with dialogues between the protagonists.

3-Dimensional Characters: The main characters in the book show three dimensional traits. They undergo change in accordance to situation and time. Athena, who is earlier not happy about her roots, develops a cordial relation with her real mother. Every unique experience brings about a positive change in her. She develops the power to call upon the spirits and help others in dealing with the difficult situations. She develops supreme powers while in a trance and helps others too to follow her part. Heron, a non-believer of the rituals, starts developing a faith in them. Andrea lets go of her possessive attitude towards love and leaves her husband.

Similarly, characters like Heron Ryan, Sameera Khalil, Andrea, and others do not remain flat throughout the book. Their interaction with Athena brings about a change in their perceptions about life and about Athena too.

Element of Suspense: The suspense comes towards the end of the story when we come to know that Athena was not murdered but it was a plot to evade the undesirable situation. Throughout the story, readers get an impression that she was killed for doing witchcraft; it is only at the very end, that they come to know about the reality.

Motifs: The story has many motifs. Invocation of Divine Mother as Hagia Sofia by Athena is one of the recurring elements that play a crucial role in the plot. It is via this invocation that Athena is able to realise her true self and is able to guide others too. The author has employed this motif to speak to the characters about their inner conflicts and guide them to follow the right path.

Another equally important motif that Coelho has used consistently is dance. While dancing, Athena goes in the state of ecstasy and speaks to others as the spirit of Hagia Sofia. Navel is yet another symbol; it stands for the center from which all energy of the universe emanates.

In my view, Paulo Coelho has succeeded to a great extent in conveying his message: One should try to tread the road less traveled in order to see his true self and that love is an end in itself.

Who would like it? Recommended for those who have an avid interest in transcendentalism and divinity.

Rating: 3.5/5

 

Famous Quotes by Paulo Coelho (from the book):

“You are what you believe yourself to be.”

‘What is a teacher? I’ll tell you: it isn’t someone who teaches something, but someone who inspires the student to give of her best in order to discover what she already knows.”

“After all, what is happiness? Love, they tell me. But love doesn’t bring and never has brought happiness. On the contrary, it’s a constant state of anxiety, a battlefield; it’s sleepless nights, asking ourselves all the time if we’re doing the right thing. Real love is composed of ecstasy and agony.”

Have a look at the trailer of the movie, if you have not seen that too:

Book Review: F?@K Knows

Title: F?@k Knows
Author: Shailendra Singh
Publisher: Rupa Publications
Price: Rs. 137/-
Pages: 256
Rating: 4 on 5

Following is the book review  of F?@K Knows by Shailendra Singh:

First Impression: A bright yellow cover! Looking from far, I mistook it for a toddlers’ book. The beaming color made me leap towards it almost immediately and as I approached the shelf, its title – ‘F?@k Knows’- made my mind do a flip-flop, this time taking it for an adult book. It was neither. A debut by the well-known Bollywood producer and brand manager, Shailendra Singh, the book has recently been the talk of the town.

What is it all about? A book that tells what shit we make of our lives and how a simple change in what we follow & what we choose can turn the tables. There is a simple message for the readers: follow your gut and make choices that make you happy from within. Ailing in hospital, wondering if his end is near, the author pondered over the futility of all the achievements he gained and the dreams he did not fulfill  He wonders that he never gave a damn to his own happiness and kept on doing what his family expected from him. That’s when he decided to pen down his thoughts.

Important to note that this is not the run-of-the-mill type ‘preach’ book; so, if you are expecting some ’10 ways to improve life’ or ‘Become Successful in 120 days’, it is not. Instead, you shall find terms like ‘F?@k list’, ‘Chi F?@k ’, ‘F?@k Buddies’. Now, what are these, you have to read the book to know; I won’t spill the beans. The way he treats the never-ending conflict of our mind and heart, which are mostly at loggerheads, is excellent. He also gives an honest opinion on taboo topics like sex and orgasm. For him, hope is a ‘poison’ and ‘fuck off’ a magic word. Different, isn’t it?

Style: He has chosen a layman’s language: style is simple and no heavy words are used. He, instead, uses the slang now and then; the ‘F’ word is stewed liberally throughout the text, though not in its typical sense. But if you are still allergic to such language, better not read it. Short lines and small paras make it easy to digest.

Tone: Shailendra talks in both first as well as second person. He adopts a conversational style, akin to youngsters’ chit-chat. He keeps the tone light and at the end of each chapter, you have something to gain.

Who would connect with it? Shit happens to us and life screws us in so many ways. And this is the universal phenomena. So, whatever your age is, and whatever crap you are caught in, you will find the book interesting enough and can relate to it.

Why should you go for it? There are things that you keep backstage all through your life, to make others happy or appear an achiever to society. But are you really happy? This book advises to transgress your conventional ways to get real happiness. The author’s telltales help readers with ways that can change quality of their life in all spheres and get them everlasting happiness. Easy to latch onto.

Would I recommend it?  Definitely YES!!