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

Malala became close with her paternal grandfather, who she calls Baba. During holidays, the family travels to see his village by bus. The paddy fields and lush green orchards turn to chemical-laden streams. The village sat between the White Mountain and the Black Mountain. Malala says her father thought the White Mountain was “a symbol of peace for our land, a white flag at the end of our valley” (62). She describes the village as a poor, crumbling place.

Malala also describes the differences between her and her cousins. “My cousins made fun of me for my city ways” (64). She wore shoes, read books, and had a different accent. “They thought I was modern because I came from town” (64). Her cousins and she play marriage—putting makeup on and marrying one of the girls away. “Once [the bride] was ready, [she] would start crying and we would stroke her hair and try to convince her not to worry. ‘Marriage is a part of life,’ we said’” (65).

The women in the village cover their faces. Malala does not. “One of my male cousins was angry and asked my father, ‘Why isn’t she covered?’ He replied, ‘She’s my daughter.