Malala Yousafzai, the youngest Nobel laureate and global advocate for girls' education, has released a candid new memoir, Finding My Way, detailing her turbulent life since surviving a Taliban assassination attempt. In an exclusive interview, she reflects on the pressures of fame, personal struggles, and a pivotal moment that brought back the trauma of the attack.
The memoir reveals a lesser-known side of Yousafzai, including an incident at Oxford University where smoking a bong triggered painful memories. 'My life has changed for ever,' she said, standing near the shed at Lady Margaret Hall where the event occurred. 'Everything changed for ever, after that night.'
Yousafzai also addresses the backlash she faced in Pakistan following a 2021 interview, where comments about marriage and partnerships were misinterpreted, sparking nationwide controversy. 'To the men who ran the world, I was just a photo op,' she writes, describing how statesmen who once sought her company later ghosted her.
Despite the challenges, Yousafzai remains committed to her activism. The memoir explores her arguments with her parents, her journey from a schoolgirl blogger to a global icon, and her determination to find her own path. 'I still don't understand why people have to get married,' she said in the earlier interview, a sentiment that led to intense scrutiny.
