I Am Malala is a powerful and inspirational book, that tells the story of one courageous girl who stood up for education and was shot by the Taliban. Malala was just 17 years old when she received the Nobel Peace Prize, making her the youngest ever recipient. Her passion, determination, and bravery resonates deeply within each and every page, touching the hearts and encouraging the minds of many.

When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, they banned all girls from going to school. They took their books and pens, and gave them pots and pans. They took their knowledge and joy, and replaced it with fear and sorrow. A storm cloud of gloom cast the valley into darkness, but there was one blazing beam of light that refused to be extinguished. Malala fiercely spoke out against the Taliban, through speeches and interviews, demanding that the gift of education be handed back to girls. When the Taliban threatened her, she spoke up even louder, With a thirst for education that could not and would not be quenched.

On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, when Malala was just 15, she was shot in the head at point blank range by the Taliban, while riding the bus home from school. They thought their bullets would silence her, but instead they amplified her voice. intensifying her strength, to fight with her burning devotion for girls rights and education for all. Malala's miraculous recovery has taken her on a remarkable journey, from a remote valley in Pakistan to the headquarters of the United Nations in New York. Malala is an icon for peaceful protest and a role model for girls all around the world.

I Am Malala is an absolute must read, that highlights just how much we take for granted every day; freedom of speech, freedom of religion and the freedom to dream. For although Malala wasn't allowed to dream beyond the Taliban's strict rule, she took her dream of equality for girls and education, watered it day by day with love and care, and watched it blossom into something beautiful that sheds it petals all around the world today.    

Reviewed by Vindhya Kathuria 

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The Woman in Cabin 10 is a gripping story that plays on deception and the struggle of disentangling reality from delusion. Its claustrophobic atmosphere will entice your curiosity and keep you longing to explore and dive deeper into this unsettling, yet eerily beautiful thriller.

Lo Blacklock is a travel journalist who has been presented with the assignment of a lifetime, a chance to travel onboard the Aurora, a brand new boutique cruise ship travelling through the Norwegian fjords, offering nothing but luxury and leisure. At first she is overwhelmed by the floating palace that is to be her home for the next week, astounded by the dazzling chandeliers, extravagant dinner parties and grand cabins.

A perfectly smooth sailing trip, or so it seems until the night that Lo bears witness to something so chilling and horrific, from the next door cabin, that it threatens to drown her in a single crashing wave of fear. A scream biting the air, a splash interrupting the calm of the waves, a smear of blood staining the glass, a body sinking into the depths of oblivion; these were the sights and sounds that would be forever etched into Lo’s mind.

Desperate to find answers,  Lo learns that no one ever checked into cabin 10 and that no passengers are missing from the boat. Dazed and confused, Lo is certain that she saw a body being thrown overboard, but could it possibly all just be a bad nightmare?

This tense thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat, captivated by the dark unknown and guessing right till the very end.

Reviewed by Vindhya Kathuria

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Turtles All The Way Down is the new riveting book by John Green, that encapsulates a young girl name Aza’s plight both mentally and with the mystery she must solve.

When her witty and curious friends discover that she was childhood friends with a boy whose father has disappeared and that there is a pretty hefty sum awaiting those who find him, it  causes Aza to dig up her past. The result of their endeavors is far more than they ever could have expected.  

This book is incredibly captivating and very different from any other book I have read. I enjoyed it immensely! What I found especially fascinating was that while there is a general plot and set of interactions between the characters, the real story lies in Aza’s struggles with herself and her mind. In this book, Green pulls out all the stops and really let’s his imagination choose where the story should lead. This results in Aza’s every thought being documented, making her character very relatable and I think most people will feel the same way. Of course, very few people actually understand what she is going through as she has a medical condition, but thanks to Green’s exceptional writing, you can put yourself in her shoes and absolutely feel what she feels.

This book is a perfect cross between a thrilling mystery and a poignant tale of a girl struggling with a mental disorder. It mixes the harsh realities of life, with the uplifting slightly comical fiction of a mystery, all topped off with a heartwarming tale of young love. I most definitely recommend this book to everyone of all ages as it is enlightening and an absolute page turner.

Reviewed by Anna Maryam Smith

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Hillary Rodham Clinton’s latest book, What Happened, could not have been an easy book to write. To put it mildly…..because what it really is, is a 500 page balancing act. 

To criticize your opponent (even if he is Donald Trump) in such a way that you make sure you don’t come across as a sore loser (despite winning the popular vote), not easy. To temper your need to explain the role of others in your defeat with a willingness to take responsibility for your own mistakes, not easy.

These are pitfalls that Mrs Clinton is acutely aware of and while the reader is left with no doubt as to where she feels the blame should be placed for the fact that she didn’t win and that we now have someone she believes to be a menace to society and the world in The White House, it is obvious that the former Secretary of State, Senator and First Lady has done some soul searching to try to understand how this could have happened. 

The best parts of the book are perhaps the ones where she describes her own personal experience of running for president of the United States as the female nominee of a major party, - a first in American history. In a race where personality plays such an enormous role, Hillary Clinton has had to struggle with an image of insincerity, that people didn’t ever believe she was being genuine, that they didn’t feel like they really knew her to the point that she was treated as someone incapable of emotion and immune to insult. Her response to this in the book and the descriptions of what it all felt like before, during and after the election are perhaps the most poignant.

Hillary Clinton is also angry, not just on her own behalf, but also on behalf of her supporters, her staff, her party and her country. She is sincerely concerned about the way the election turned out, the key players who she feels orchestrated it, the people who allowed it to happen and, of course, the man who won thanks to an electoral college system she fervently opposes and criticizes. There is plenty of blame to go around, but the bulk of it is placed squarely on the shoulders of FBI Director Comey and the Russian involvement / hacking of the election process. 

What Happened also tries to reconcile her role as someone who is so clearly part of the establishment, someone almost doomed to win right up until the moment she lost, with the role of the outsider, the woman destined against all odds to shatter the ultimate glass ceiling on behalf of women everywhere. She makes it very clear that much of her strength comes from the women she has met throughout her life; the ones who raised her, literally and metaphorically, the ones she studied, learned from, tried to emulate and tried to educate throughout her life. Indeed, some of the most heartfelt, defiant passages of the book relate to women, the women’s movement, the role and struggle of women in politics and public life.

In What Happened Hillary Rodham Clinton tries to explain, understand and move on. Yes, she is angry, yes she is hurt, yes, she is at times biased and yes, taking responsibility and letting go of grudges don’t come easy to her, but after all that has happened and especially given where we are today #imstillwithher

Happy reading!

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