Malala Yousafzai – Blackbird and Company

diligent: having or showing care and conscientiousness in one’s work or duties
forgiving: to be willing to forget, not hold resentment for an offense, or mistake against you
curious: eager to know or learn something
longsuffering: having or showing patience in spite of troubles, especially those caused by other
people
independent: free from outside control; not depending on another’s authority

When Malala grew up she wanted to be a doctor. (Pg 1)
Malala was named after Malala Maiwand, a young woman who helped to stop the British take over of Afghanistan. (Pg 13)
As a child Malala listened to her father recite the poetry of Rumi. (Pg 22)
By the time Malala’s brother Atal was born there were more than eight hundred students attending Ziauddin’s schools. (Pg 26)
At her father’s school, Malala studied three languages, Pashto, English and Urdu; math, science, history and Islamic studies. (Pg 28)
When Malala went to market with her mother she bought small toys, sweets and shiny bracelets. (Pg 32)
Malala was scared when the man on the local radio talked about not allowing girls to attend school. (Pg 35)

fearful: feeling afraid; showing fear or anxiety
devastated: to be destroyed or ruined; severe and overwhelming grief or shock
recognized: to be able to identify someone or something; to be acknowledged as an expert
regular: arrange in a definite pattern; conforming to an accepted standard of procedure
brave: ready to face, and endure danger or pain; showing courage

Malala was frightened when the Taliban announced over the radio that besides wearing burqas girls’ and women could no longer go out unless accompanied by a male relative, their right to vote, hold a job or go to school was to be taken away. (Pg 39/40)
When Malala’s father is told to close down the girls’ high school he refuses. (Pg 41)
Although many children stopped attending school Malala still went. (Pg 43)
After the Pakistani army left the Swat valley over one hundred and fifty girls’ schools were destroyed, but Malala’s was still open, but was in danger of being closed. (Pg 46)
When Malala published articles on the BBC website she used the pen name, Gul Makai, the name of a strong girl from a Pashtun folktale. (Pg 52)
In January, 2019 the Taliban did the thing that Malala had been dreading, all girls’ schools were closed. (Pg 58)
After changing her mind about being a doctor, Malala pursued the career of being a politician. (Pg 62)

shy: being reserved or having or showing nervousness or timidity in the company of other people
beautiful: pleasing the senses or mind aesthetically
peaceful: free from disturbance; tranquil
open-minded: willing to consider new ideas; unprejudiced
generous: showing a readiness to give more of something, as money, or time, than is strictly necessary or expected

After the doctors had shown Malala the board with the alphabet on it, she spelled the two words: country and father. (Pg 74)
On Malala’s 16th birthday the United Nations honored her by naming her birth date, July 12^th, as Malala Day. (Pg 80)
In her address to the United Nations, Malala mentioned the peaceful protests of Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, and Mother Teresa. (Pg 85)
Three months after her 16th birthday, Malala, her best selling book, I Am Malala, was published. (Pg 91)
The two winners of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 were Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi. (Pg 92)
Kailash Satyarthi won the Nobel Peace Prize for helping to stop children from being sold into slavery and being forced to work. (Pg 95/98)
Malala used the money awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize to found the Malala Fund, which repairs and builds schools for children around the world so they can receive an education. (Pg 100)