Book Review: Finding My Way by Malala Yousafzai
Published: October 2, 2026
I decided to take a break from local fiction and picked up Finding My Way by Malala Yousafzai.
Who is Malala Yousafzai
For those who don’t know, Malala was an ‘ordinary’ (she has always been feisty) Pakistani girl when her life was turned upside down. When the Taliban arrived in her village and banned women and girls from school, she defended her right to education. Her influence and voice was growing and the Taliban made it their mission to silence her. They thankfully failed but Malala’s life would never be the same again.
Malala was shot in the head by the Taliban in October 2012 on the school bus coming home from school. She was rushed to England where doctors managed to save her life. Her family then settled into their new life in Birmingham and Malala became a global star who travelled around the world to advocate for girl’s education… AT 15!
Finding My Way
Finding My Way is Malala’s first hand account of her experiences in High School, making friends in a new country, the college experience at Oxford, love and balancing cultural expectations. She also documents her healing journey which was both physical and mental/emotional.
I was initially drawn to this book simply to support her- I knew her story and have an immense amount of respect for what she does… But I honestly wasn’t even sure if I’d read it. Memoirs can make me sleepy but after taking in multiple heavily structured fiction stories this summer I though the true life of this brave young woman could be a breath of fresh air. I expected it to be more like a conversational story as opposed to a detailed novel - and I was right. I felt like I was sitting with this young woman sipping tea while she caught me up on her extraordinary life.
I am so happy I picked up this book. It’s a real and raw take on life and honestly way more vulnerable then I expected her to be publicly - but I’m glad she was comfortable enough to put those thoughts on the page. She speaks deeply about how every photo, word and outfit is heavily scrutinized. How a photo of her in jeans could set off death threats. There would have been risks even publishing this story, but she has worked tremendously hard for the right to live as unapologetically authentic as she can.
The physical book is also amazing. The art on the sleeve is beautiful and it protects a lavender hardcover. On the inside of the cover it’s plastered with photos and memories of Malala’s journey through the last decade of her still young life. I find it amazing that a woman who at the time of writing this post, is 29 years old and lived through enough to be able to write a 305 page memoir.
Every big decision you face- there are different paths through this wonderful journey of life, and whichever one you pick will bring different problems and different rewards. When you make a choice, don’t look back and imagine that there were other better options. Make the best decision you can with what you happen to know at the time and then explore, enjoy, meet the challenges.
This memoir is a reminder to the world that Malala Yousafzai is more then just a brave icon or a photo op opportunity, she is human, and to be human is to fumble from time-to-time. It’s also a reminder that she didn’t choose this life. She was a passionate student who fought for her right to learn when someone else decided her fate. She did not choose to leave home or to be flung onto the world stage. When she was safely able to visit Pakistan after many years, it was an emotional reunion full of love. While being so far from home sits heavy on her heart, is now at peace with what life has thrown at her and intends to continue to use her voice for advocating for girl’s education.
While she’s been through some extraordinary experiences, I think most people (especially women) can relate to the struggles she’s encountered. I especially connected with her struggles to make friends and the mental health struggles that come with expectations and trying to balance too much in college.
Her journey to marriage was also very relatable. I am (at the time of this post) a 35 year old unwed woman living with a man, a cat and a rabbit peacefully in a home that only has my name on the deed. While I live in a part of the world where I can choose this lifestyle, I still feel the societal pressures to conform to something more traditional. Malala and Asser’s love story is a beautiful one- not because it was perfect- but because they forged not only a romance but a mutual understanding and friendship. They married on their own terms and I’m hopeful they will have a long happy life together. This is very uncommon in their culture and this happy ending didn’t come without struggles but together they are creating their own destiny.
I look forward to seeing what Malala does next. These 305 pages were just the start of her life and she is a beacon of good in this world that’s desperately needed. While it’s entirely up to her what happens next, I have optimism she’ll continue to use her voice to make the world a little better then the way she found it.
If feels weird rating a book that’s based on a real life journey, but I can say that her hard work was extremely evident throughout the writing process. The stories were detailed and the book itself is beautiful. I learned so much about Malala and her journey. I hope everyone gets the chance to read Finding My Way.
I give this book five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
