I am Malala

Malala Yousafzai was shot on a bus in Pakistan in 2012. This attempt to silence her only succeeded in drawing the world's attention to the turmoil in the country, as well as the young women's activist fighting for her life, and the education of others, in a hospital in Birmingham, England.

How she came to be this influential, courageous, and outspoken, bright person is due to circumstance, family, and her own instincts. From a very early age Malala was taught to fight for what she believed in. Her family owned a chain of schools, allowing her to continue on her education while other girls her age were keeping house or being married off. Her father was anti-Taliban, the terrorist group threatening the country, and voiced his opinions, despite the death threats and warnings.

As Malala matured, the Taliban threat became more and more prominent. Then the group announced that starting the 15th of June, girls were no longer to attend school. With all the other issues and wars raging throughout the country, the education of women was low on everybody's list. When no one stepped up, Malala decided she would.

With the help of BBC, British Broadcasting Corporation, she blogged under the pseudonym Gul Makai about day to day life in Mingola. Her blog attracted a lot of attention, finally making those in other parts of the world, such as America, understand the struggles people were facing outside of bombs and attacks.

Once her identity was ousted (accidently by her father) she began doing interviews and starting programs to help girls receive an education. Even after she received a death threat of her own, she did not stop. After she was shot, she spoke at United Nations conference, became the youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize  laureate, and published her own book.

But the reason I love this book is because of the pride I feel, knowing that a girl my age, with no prior social status, was able to stand up and make a huge difference, in education of women. She did this in a country where women are expected to be covered from head to toe and are not permitted out without the company of a male.

She did this without violence, without hiding, with her family behind her. She took on a highly dangerous terrorist group, knowing they would retaliate in some way, shape, or form. She knew what they were capable of.

But she also knew that what she was fighting for was important and that someone needed to be the voice of the countless oppressed women who wanted an education.

And I would like to think, that if it ever came down to it, I would stand up for what I believed in too.

Malala is an inspiration to not just girls, but everyone world wide. So many take for granted the privilege she was almost killed fighting for. A privilege no 15 year old should have to fight for.

My favorite part of the book is when her father takes her hand and tells her that everyone once knew them as Ziauddin Yousufzai, the political activist, and his daughter Malala, but now they were known as Malala, the courageous women's activist, and her father Ziauddin.

That quote to me says it all. It says girls, you are just as important as men and you deserve the same education, it says to the world, things need to change, we need to make things better, and it says to me, that even when the odds are stacked against you, never abandon your beliefs. They're what make you who you are.

She is Malala, and she made a difference.


    
 Picture of Malala
                            

Her Book I am Malala


Photo of her speaking at UN


 
Nobel Peace Prize

cinder

All of this hype about the new Cinderella movie reminded me of this series I was reading, the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. Why? The first book, entitled Cinder, is a twist on the childhood fairytale.
Linh Cinder is a citizen of what was once a large part of Asia, now East Commonweath. With her robotic hand and metal foot acquired in a childhood fire, Cinder works as a mechanic amidst the busy market place of New Bejing. For a while it's just her and  her best friend (and android) Iko along with her evil stepmother a two stepsisters.
But that all changes the day Price Kai comes to her asking for help recovering information off his personal android.
From there Cinder finds herself in the middle of a huge conspiracy, one involving the infamous plague that has taken the lives of billions everywhere, potential (intergalactic) war, quite possibly a mentally unstable doctor, and a supposedly dead Lunar princess that could save Earth.
I have never liked science fiction books, or anything pertaining to extraterrestrial life before, but I don't think that is truly what Cinder is.
This whole series is a spin off of the stories I grew up on, Cinderella and her lost shoe, Red Ridding Hood and her red cap, Rapunzel and her tresses of hair, and so many others. Each book is a new character and a continuation of the other stories. what I love so much is that everything ties together, every move the characters make come full circle, bringing the together for the finale.
Each character faces real problems and situations that kids my age deal with, albeit a on a larger scale.
They are all complex and diverse and unique in their own way. I love watching how the relationships evolve over time, my favorite being Cinder and Kai's.
They couldn't come from more different upbringings yet they are so similar: strong willed, clever, (for the most part) levelheaded, and compassionate. They are just so cute together, or rather they will be, once they actually get together.
Cinder has lived among the people and will bring insight on how to unite the nation and other world powers together against the impending Lunar (human experiment/alien) attack. Kai has the political sway to make people listen. If they can uncover the truth in time they might just have a chance to save the world, before it's too late.  

Blood of Olympus

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                                                                Blood of Olympus

Blood of Olympus is the newest book in Rick Roldan's newest series, The Heroes of Olympus. I don't want to say too much about the plot, as that would give the book away, but it was really good. There was a steady build up of suspense and deception throughout the book, so much so, that I felt the climax was a bit of a let down, it all happened so fast.

By far, this book and the previous book, the House of Hades are my favorite, as they are the only two that really showcase character development. For the first time, I saw a darker side of Percy, making him a more complex, dynamic character.  

Roldan spoke of how some characters never got along, but it wasn't until this book that that lack of trust really started to cause problems in character relationships and in the quest. The fate of the world rests on these demigod's shoulders, but I never doubted until this book that they would succeed.

I have been reading the Percy Jackson books since I was in fourth grade. Back then the humor was hilarious. But now, as a ninth grader in high school, I don't find the same humor appealing. Although the jokes have matured slightly overtime, I do wish Roldan would improve upon the characters' sense of humor, and maybe have them cuss every once and a while. They don't have to drop the f-bomb every other paragraph, but if I was 10,000 feet above sea level falling towards the earth with a five ton, burning chunk of metal behind me, I highly doubt "Holy moly!" would be my choice of words.

My favorite character is definitely Nico, the dangerous 14 year old son of Hades, Lord of the Underworld. He became closed off and dark after his sister died. Once his idol, Percy Jackson is now a target for his hate, yet he can't seem to stop himself from stepping in and keeping the idiot from getting himself killed. And you find out why in the book.

Nico, who journeyed solo through the depths of Tarturus, who carried the secret of both camps, who witnesses the horrors of death every time he shuts his eyes, can't face his innermost secret. (Spoiler) He is undeniably, completely, head over heels in love with Percy Jackson.

This kid has so much on his shoulders and I think he's completely adorable! He is the only one, I think, with a funny and mature sense of humor (ironic 'cause he's the youngest) and I don't think Roldan gives this kid enough credit.

In all honesty, I think I was more concerned about Nico finding happiness than I was Gaea rising from the Earth.

All in all, I was pleased with Blood of Olympus (finished it in one day) and I can't wait for the next book to come out.



 Nico Di Angelo

Farenheit Extension: Mrs. Phelps

Mrs. Phelps

Of the night-wind, down the vast edges drear
And naked shingles of the world...

   Mrs. Phelps sniffled and rubbed the back of her hand under her nose. Naked shingles. Of all the- it was simply preposterous -unprecedented -it-it-it- made her head spin.
   She needed to go back to her house, where her family waited for her next to a bottle of sleeping pills. Void of Pete, any children, and nasty firemen spouting out poisonous words instead of toxic flames. Yes, that's exactly what she needed to do. 
   Shakily, she pulled out the keys to her beetle. Poor Mildred. Her dear friend left alone with a delusional man and a book. Not alone, she corrected herself, she still had her family.
   But what help would they been against Montag and his dangerous words...
   Stop it! A whimper escaped her lips. That poem had left her shaken that was for sure, yet what part  had gotten to her, she didn't know. All she knew was that it had left her feeling, feeling what? Not her usual empty, but a hollowed abandonness that carved away at her from the inside. It clawed and chipped away and filled her with more hopelessness. And she didn't like it.
   "Silly words, silly words, silly awful hurting words," Mrs. Bowles murmured as she passed by Mrs. Phelps, seeming not to notice her.
   Mrs. Phelps in turn, seemed oblivious to Mrs. Bowles, all her attention on unlocking her beetle, until the other woman spun back around, facing the house and cried out, "Silly words! Silly, silly, silly, silly!" Then to herself mumbled, "Silly awful hurting words," and climbed into her beetle and slammed the door.
   Mrs. Phelps released a breath.
   "I'm calling the fire department!"
   She jumped, startled by Mrs. Bowles outburst, and dropped her keys. What good would it do to call the fire department, she mused as Mrs. Bowles sped off. If Montag was anything to go by, they'd be just as likely to spew rhymes as they would flames.

Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light...

   Stepping into her beetle, she felt despair. Despair and hopelessness. She had a name for what that wretched poem had made her feel but still no way to make it vanish. And that in turn only fed the hopelessness.

Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain...    

   Why? Why couldn't she make the feelings go away? Tearing down the road with her foot heavy on the pedal, she raced to leave her emotions behind.
  It wasn't working. She couldn't escape. She had never felt more confused, more trapped. Not in her first, second, or third marriage. Not with her family, chatting and sipping orange drinks in her sitting room. Not even while Montag stood in the doorway, reading aloud about those stupid naked shingles.
   How desperately she wished to go back in time, to not show up at Mildred's, to simply sleep through the evening and possibly the next few days.

And we are here on a darkling plain...  

   Pete. He drifted into her mind like a leaf on the wind, provoking feelings of nothing. She did not miss him nor did she long for his comfort. Was it wrong? If so what else was wrong with her? Did that mean there was something wrong with her family?
   How she hated all this worrying. Worrying was Pete's job. She pressed the gas pedal all the way to the floor. Pete. Her third husband. They had an agreement to be independent. If he were be killed off she was to move right along and marry again, forget about him and shed no tears. But she needn't worry.
   More people died from suicide than war anyways.

Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,
Where ignorant armies clash by night.

She just wanted to feel nothing again.

MARK OF ATHENA

Mark of Athena has been sitting on my shelf for about a year and a half now.

I have been reading Rick Roldan since the fourth grade. He's been with me since my glasses days, so, in a way, I've grown up with him. Not just him, but Percy and Annabeth and all of the other demigods as well.
 
Off the top of my head I can tell you that Percy, albeit selfless, is impulsive. As unpredictable as the sea his father reigns over. He will disregard his safety in the blink of an eye yet risk war if it means protecting those he cares for. He uses his sarcasm and humor as a defense mechanism to avoid letting people in, therefore avoiding getting hurt. All of his years of fighting have hardened him, made him more cautious.
 
 He is naturally stubborn, as well as a natural born leader, often butting heads with those of authority. He is a good person, but he needs someone levelheaded to point out more logical, often better ways, to obtain what he wants. He needs someone to balance out his impulsiveness and make him see reason.
 
That person, is Annabeth.

Their relationship is one developed over years of having one another's backs. Daughter of Athena, goddess of wisdom, Annabeth is an expert in Ancient Greek, a budding architect, and quite easily a genius. In fact, she is Einstein's half brother, but will never let herself forget her fatal flaw: pride.  An incredibly skilled fighter, she is one of the youngest when she arrives at Camp Half-Blood, only eight. She is one of the best and brightest but sometimes, overcomplicates things. Fails to see the simple answer.
 
Like Percy, she too is guarded. Wary of letting others in after so many betrayals. She is wise beyond her years and she needs someone to remind her how to have fun and live.
 
This person is Percy.

I can say for sure, they are the first couple I ever shipped. They're perfect for one another, living proof that opposites do attract. I know there is a literary term for characters that are purposefully put in the story as opposites to highlight one another's differences, but I'm just gonna call this the work of the Fates. Fits better with the whole Ancient Greek theme.

My parents had a party this weekend and I was so bored that I sat down and read the whole book. In one night. All 574 pages.

Just like Rick Riordan's other books, the characters are locked in a race against time to unravel this prophecy:

                                            WISDOM'S DAUGHTER WALKS ALONE
                                 THE MARK OF ATHENA BURNS THROUGH ROME
                                         TWINS SNUFF OUT THE ANGEL'S BREATH
                                       WHO HOLDS THE KEY TO ENDLESS DEATH
                                         GIANT'S BANE STANDS GOLD AND PALE
                                        WON THROUGH PAIN FROM WOVEN JAIL 

At the same time, dealing with this lovely foretelling:

                                SEVEN HALF-BLOODS SHALL ANSWE THE CALL.
                                  TO STROM OF FIRE, THE WORLD MUST FALL.
                                   AN OATH TO KEEP WITH A FINAL BREATH.
                             AND FOES BEAR ARMS TO THE DOORS OF DEATH.

Now I could go all analytical and decipher possible deeper meanings of Riordan in writing these prophecies, but that would take all the fun out of it. I love the Heroes of Olympus series and plan on blogging again when I finish the next book, The Blood of Olympus. Sounds pleasant doesn't it?