Babe, wake up. Malala’s new book Finding My Way is out and *dramatic gasp* she’s a hot mess, just like the rest of us!
Yes, Malala Yousafzai. Education activist. Youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate. Oxford graduate. Human we are all guilty of holding to impossible saintly standards. In a refreshing, humanising and at times, rather hilarious 300 pages, we get to learn about Malala beyond the accolades and headlines – her loves, failures, friendships, hopes, mental health struggles, and how, she’s just trying to figure life out. (Same girl, same!)
If Josie Alibrandi were real, she would totally be Malala’s Aussie bestie – both navigating who they are. Both learning to embrace their perfectly imperfect selves and the equally imperfect people who shape their lives.
Bottom line, there’s a lot more to Malala than we realise, and she finally gets to tell it in her own words. If you loved her before, you’ll love her even more once you read the book. And if you aren’t her biggest fan, you might just be by the end of it. Here are 10 things you’ll love about Finding My Way:
1. Malala is one of us:
Ladies, gentlemen and non-binary friends, Malala has slept through alarms, missed deadlines for essays and almost failed her university assessments. She’s smoked a bong, cut her own bangs, eaten dry cereal for dinner, Googled Selena Gomez for outfit inspo and seriously knows her cricket. She’s fought with the indomitable force that is her mum, Toor Pekai, loves to tease her younger brothers, Khushal and Atal, and has felt the insecurities we all feel growing up. She loves deeply, feels lonely at times and is adventurous AF.
This Nobel Prize laureate is definitely human. Sometimes she’s a hot mess. Sometimes she has her sh** together. Either way, you’ll love getting to know just how wonderfully human she really is.
2. Mental health matters:
Malala’s memoir takes us inside her beautifully complex mind. Whether it’s holding on to memories of home or overthinking text messages to a crush, feeling ripped to shreds by unsolicited internet commentary or experiencing PTSD, panic attacks and anxiety, this is the first time Malala has opened up about her mental health. And her message is crystal clear: Seeking help is brave. Pretending you’re fine all the time? Not so much.
3. The love story:
If you”re a nosy parker (like me), you’ve probably been dying to know more about Malala and Asser’s relationship. How did they meet? Where was their first date? What did she wear? What did he wear? What did they eat? Can you even call it a date when they’re technically not allowed to go on dates? How did they tell their parents about their relationship? And how did they manage to keep it all on the down-low from the public until after they were married?
Well, Malala goes into allllll of that, and more. From the flirty text messages (girl can flirt!), to the moment they knew they had to be together, their love story will make your heart flutter.
Malala Yousafzai & Asser Malik photo via @malikasser/X
4. Malala is funny as hell:
Bar an article by Sirin Kale where we learned that Malala is a Ted Lasso fan, most of Malala’s interviews and public appearances pre-book release are all very serious. Understandable given she’s usually standing next to a world leader and fighting for human rights and all. But in her book, we’re introduced to Malala’s playful side – she’s cracking jokes with friends (some of them are honestly 11/10), partying all night long and knows how to laugh at herself.
She’s more than the human rights activist the media has told us about. Yep, she’s also funny as hell.
5. A celebration of friendship:
Malala’s book is a beautiful reminder that good friends are everything. From Moniba, her BFF in Pakistan, to her circle of friends at Oxford, Malala so vividly describes the joy, chaos and new experiences they bring to her life, you can’t help but wish you were part of her crew too. They’re the ones who laugh, cry and dance with her all night. The ones who helped her through some of her most difficult days, pulled her out of the depths of loneliness, shared their tutorial notes and made sure she made it to her exams on time. They, in many ways, propelled her journey of self-discovery. (And shoutout to the friend who introduced her to future husband, Asser Malik!)
Photo via @malala/Instagram
6. Getting to know Malala’s mum:
It’s usually Malala’s incredible father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, that we tend to hear from and about in the media. But in Finding My Way, her mother, Toor Pekai, gets the spotlight too.
Though Malala grew up viewing her mum as harsh and strict, she eventually connects with her and learns it all comes from a place of immense love – we learn about Toor Pekai’s ongoing grief after having almost lost Malala, the cultural pressures she’s faced as a Pakistani woman with a “famous” daughter, and the restrictions on her own hopes and dreams.
Also, she’s quite the character. How many mums do you know who would slap Prince Harry’s hand away from their daughter’s shoulder so the neighbours back home don’t gossip?
Malala’s mum Toor Pekai and Malala. Photo via @malala/Instagram
7. Getting to know Malala’s brothers:
Like most big sisters, Malala is very good at ripping into her younger brothers, Khushal and Atal. (“I am proud of the men you’re becoming… but I could always be prouder, keep trying!” she hilariously writes in her acknowledgements.)
But perhaps what stands out most is how aware she is of the impact the shooting she experienced had on them. They were just 12 and 8 at the time, and their lives too, were turned upside down. They too, experienced a trauma, albeit different to their big sister’s. They too, were torn away from home and thrown into a new country, with a new culture, and a new language that they had to figure out.
Khushal and Atal’s presence in Malala’s writing is moving, and a reflection of just how much they mean to her.
An old photo of Malala with her brothers, Khushal and Atal. Photo via @malala/Instagram
8. Behind the scenes:
Malala’s memoir gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the pressures that come with her activism – accusations of not being Muslim enough or Pakistani enough, the fears her family face every time she speaks up, the guilt of obsessing over trivial things or feeling like she’s not doing enough when she’s already doing so much. How it all impacts her mental health.
At one point Malala describes being in hospital following surgery and hearing about the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan – she feels so compelled to speak up for Afghan girls, she rips off the bandage on her head to do a TV interview. (I’m sure her doctors were thrilled?)
These are the behind-the-scenes stories we never hear about in the media. And yet they’re so important because they give context to her activism, and the weight she constantly bears on her shoulders.
9. Representation. Representation. Representation:
In recent years, there’s been a delightful explosion of South Asian women in mainstream media – Lilly Singh, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Poorna Jagannathan, Jameela Jamil, just to name a few. But we can never have enough representation and one of the most delightful aspects of Malala’s memoir is that her culture and heritage is such a prominent part of who she is. She’s proud of it, even when she feels like she doesn’t belong – from the loving way she talks about her home in Mingora, Pakistan, to the scattered mentions of Bollywood, biryani and her shalwar khameez,Malala is not only making a whole world of young people feel seen, she’s inserting a different perspective into the zeitgeist.
10. The final chapter:
No spoilers allowed but let’s just say, as far as final chapters go, this is up there as one of the most memorable ones you’ll ever read. (What are you waiting for? Go! Go! Go!)
*Thank you to Hachette Australia for providing CelebrityKind with a copy of ‘Finding My Way’ for the purpose of this review.
Malala-related things you’ll love….
*If you make a purchase through the links provided, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you, so you’ll also be helping CelebrityKind grow!
- Get your copy of Finding My Way here.
- Check out Malala’s kids books here.
- Sign up to MasterClass to gain access to Malala Yousafzai’s “Creating Change” video series.
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