In October 2012, a masked Taliban gunman boarded a school bus in Mingora, Pakistan, and asked, “Who is Malala?” He then shot 15-year-old Malala Yousafzai in the head.

She had become a target for speaking out against the Taliban’s ban on girls’ education in her hometown in Swat Valley. After surviving the attack and waking up ten days later in a Birmingham hospital, she was forced into exile, but soon returned to activism with renewed vigour.

She first told her story in I Am Malala (2013), co-written with Christina Lamb, a year before becoming the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

Now, in her new memoir Finding My Way, Malala reflects on the years that followed. Thrust onto the global stage as a teenager, she became a symbol, a saintly heroine for girls’ rights. But who was she beyond the headlines?

This honest and moving coming-of-age memoir explores her inner world – from dealing with PTSD and struggling to keep up with her Oxford coursework while continuing global advocacy, to navigating real friendships and falling in love. It’s hard to blend in as a student when you are followed by security guards and scrutinised for your every move. ‘Girls just want to have fun’, and Malala is no exception (she sneaks past her security on multiple occasions).

I loved this book for its raw authenticity and insight into the lives of girls across the globe who still fight for basic freedoms. In Malala’s hometown, it is not unheard of for girls to die at the hands of their own families – “honour” killings masked as suicides. In contrast, at Oxford she was free to study but even being photographed in jeans could trigger an online backlash.

Ultimately, Finding My Way is a testament to resilience, the story of a young woman determined to reclaim her voice, not only as a global icon, but as herself.

Stay in the loop with The North Coast Courier on Facebook, X, Instagram & YouTube for the latest news.

Mobile users can join our WhatsApp Broadcast Service here or if you’re on desktop, scan the QR code below.