Tag: Non fiction

Non fiction

We Are Displaced

Zoha Siddiqui

About the Author:

Malala Yousafzai was born in Mingora, Pakistan on July 12th, 1977. In Pakistan, when a girl was born they would not celebrate her birth or let her pursue an education; however Malala’s father was different. He wanted to give her every opportunity that a boy would have. In 2012, an unfortunate incident happened on the way back from school. Malala was shot on the left side of her head by the Taliban (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taliban). She went through surgery and recovery in London. She now studies at the University of Oxford. Her book, We Are Displaced, was released on September 4th, 2018.

This book is an autobiography by Malala Yousafzai. Malala’s exquisite story is told through different perspectives, ranging from herself to her friends, to her friends’ sisters who have all lost their community and family.

In my opinion, the story was a little confusing at the start because it changed from person to person and that made it quite perplexing for me, but soon it became clear. All the stories in the book showcase the struggles that the girls and their family members face when they are displaced from their homes.

In her other book, “I am Malala” she has a famous quote “If one man can destroy everything, why can’t one girl change it?” The reason that I really liked that quote was because it shows how strong one girl can be. In this book, Malala talks about the girls and their real stories of how they had to escape from their war torn homes and settle in other places.

It provides a vivid description of the refugee conditions that these girls lived in and compares them to their new homes where they were able to settle. I got a very good knowledge of geography based on the maps and the descriptions of the climate and landscape.

While reading the stories, I felt a little upset about how families got separated and the dangerous conditions the girls had to travel through. I feel blessed to think about all the things that we have and that we take for granted.

This is a very important book to pick up and read if you really want to experience how these girls fight for their right to survive.

Have you read any other books about refugees? If so, which ones?

Uncategorized

Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsberg

Zoha Siddiqui

This book, Notoirous RBG: TheLife and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsberg by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik is based on a true story about the second female justice of four to be confirmed to the court. This book had a number of pros and cons. Before we get into the pros and cons, let me tell you a little bit about RBG.                                                                           

RBG’s real name is Ruth Bader Ginsburg but people call her RBG. People call and name her after Notorious BIG, the famous rapper who died in 1997. RBG also wrote some of her own books such as My Own Words, Text, Cases, and more. She was also referred to as”the smartest person on the East Coast.” Although, she had lost her older sister and mother it didn’t interfere with RBG’s achievements.

A famous quote RBG stated was “Fight for things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”

Furthermore, she isn’t just strong on the inside, she is also strong on the outside!  In the book, it told us what she did for her workout to stay fit, which was really interesting to read!

Pros

  • I learnt a lot of interesting facts about RBG
  • It was packed with information
  • This book was very inspirational

Cons

  • The story moved a little slowly and it took me a while to get through it

Here is a video clip that I enjoyed watching with my dad that casts Steven Colbert and RBG. The clips shows her workout!