For my first selection, I decided to check off ‘a political memoir’ since our BYOBook club’s prompt for January is to go outside your comfort zone, and I pretty much never read political memoirs. But this is one I’ve been wanting to read for a while now – “I Am Malala”!

Malala Yousafzai is the teenage Pakistani girl who was shot in the head by the Taliban for speaking out in favor of girls’ education. Her genuinely caring and humble voice comes across clearly in her writing style – she really seems like someone you’d want to get to know and be friends with. She speaks fondly of her family and their traditions and customs, and you can practically hear the bewilderment in her voice as she speaks of the way the Taliban have twisted the words of the Quran and espoused completely antithetical teachings. I highly recommend reading it, especially if you want to know more about that part of the world and the influence the Taliban have had on it from the perspective of a young woman growing up right smack in the middle of it. Definitely worth the time.

Up Next: I need ‘a book recommended by a family member,’ and there’s one in particular that my hubby’s been encouraging me to read for months now…