Strong Women Series, #1: Malala Yousafzai

The Camel and the Scorpion is a book inspired by true events. It is the story of #StrongWomen - Caroline, Lydia, Anna - who spoke out for a good world despite the personal and professional risks to themselves in doing so.

This post inaugurates my Strong Women Series. It honors women and girls of courage.

By DFID - UK Department for International Development - Malala Yousafzai: Education for girls, CC BY 2.0

Malala Yousafzai

Malala is the 15 year-old girl who the Taliban attempted to assassinate. On her school bus.

Her crimes? Speaking her truth about what it was like living with the oppressive Taliban presence. Advocating for girls' education.

This 2009 New York Times video introduced many of us to Malala, only 12 years old at the time:

Class Dismissed: Malala’s Story from The New York Times - Video on Vimeo.

This young girl inspires courage in me. En-courages me.

She has the spirit of the protagonists in my book: Caroline, Lydia, Anna. It is because of girls like Malala that I wrote The Camel and the Scorpion.


Want to learn more about Malala? 

• Read the book: I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban.

• Watch the movie: He Named Me Malala