The importance of education is one of the central themes of Malala’s memoir and the focus of her advocacy. Malala recognizes that knowledge is the key to individual independence: Without education, one’s life possibilities are limited, and even controlled. From an early age, Malala sees the gender disparity inherent in education and focuses on girls’ right to attend school. A passionate learner herself, Malala literally risks her life to attend school. As an exemplar of benefits of education, Malala uses “knowledge as her weapon” in her mission to ensure that everyone has the same opportunity to learn (191).

As a young child, Malala observes both the power of education and the consequences of functional illiteracy. Malala’s father is educated. He is a successful teacher and school founder. Personally, and through his work, he models daily the benefits of education. Malala loves and admires her father, and he nurtures her passion for learning. From an early age, Malala adores school. Malala’s mother, in contrast, presents an example of the limitations that come from a lack of education. Raised in a mountain village where many women are illiterate, Malala’s mother cannot read. Watching her mother have difficulty understanding prices in the shops, Malala says, is “an unspoken sadness for us both” (23).