I Am Malala: Chapter 23 Summary & Analysis

Malala wakes up in Birmingham, England, on October 16. The first thing she thinks is, “Thank God I’m not dead.” The first person she talks to is Dr. Kayani, who speaks to her in Urdu. Dr. Kayani explains that she’s in England, and that her parents are still in Pakistan. Malala finds this news enormously distressing. A Muslim chaplain named Rehanna visits Malala and calms her down somewhat by reciting Quranic verses.

On Malala’s second day of consciousness after her shooting, she learns more about her surroundings. She’s in the Queen Elizabeth hospital, a far cleaner, more sophisticated building than the one where she’d been in Pakistan. She finds it difficult to speak, so she communicates at first with an alphabet board, and later with a pen and paper. Dr. Reynolds visits her, and gives her a white teddy bear as a present. She tells Malala that she should name the bear “Junaid,” for reasons that will become clear to her later.

As Malala becomes increasingly conscious, she asks two questions: “Where is my family?” and “Who is paying for this?” The doctors assure Malala that her family is safe in Pakistan, and will visit her soon. They say that the government of Pakistan will pay for Malala’s treatment. Malala is nonetheless terrified that Ziauddin could be dead. She continues to believe that he’s trying to find a way to pay for her treatment himself. Dr. Kayani calls Ziauddin, and gives the phone to Malala. Though she can’t speak, she’s overjoyed to hear his voice.

Back in Pakistan, Ziauddin continues to worry about his daughter’s well being. Pakistani government authorities inform him that Malala's condition is improving, and he's furious that they have more information about Malala than he does. Privately, Ziauddin is also angry with the Pakistani government for lying about the Taliban. The government had previously claimed that there were no more Taliban soldiers in Swat—but it seems that the government knew about the Taliban presence in Swat and did nothing. In spite of his anger, Ziauddin tries to remain calm. He talks with Dr. Reynolds constantly, and she tells him that Malala is making a slow recovery.

In England, Malala communicates mostly with her pen and paper. She asks, “Who did this to me?” and Dr. Reynolds informs her that the Taliban shot her. Malala is worried, and wants to know if her family is all right. Reynolds insists that they are. Slowly Malala recovers control of her voice. After five days, she’s able to talk to Dr. Reynolds. With Rehanna, she has conversations about women’s rights, education, and the perception of Muslims in the Western world. Malala, now in control of her own voice, talks to her parents over Dr. Kayani’s phone. Ziauddin is greatly concerned about her health, but Malala tells him that she’s recovering.

In Pakistan, Tor Pekai becomes increasingly worried that the Pakistani government isn’t making any arrangements for them to travel to England. She threatens to go on a hunger strike if they’re not given news of their transportation to England soon. Tor Pekai’s threat is surprisingly effective, and officials have her and Ziauddin moved to Islamabad overnight. In Islamabad, however, Tor Pekai is disappointed to learn that she’s no closer to flying to England than she was before. Later, she learns that the interior minister, Rehman Malik, is the one causing the delay. Rehman wants to fly to England along with Malala’s parents, so that he can preside over a press conference from Malala’s hospital. He also wants to ensure that Malala’s family doesn’t seek political asylum in England, which would be highly embarrassing for Pakistan.

In all, it takes ten days for Ziauddin and Tor Pekai to fly to England. In the meantime, Malala enjoys talking with Dr. Reynolds, but can barely wait to see her parents. She watches television and begins her physical therapy. It takes her hours of concentration to take her first steps, but the doctors assure her that she’ll regain full motor control in due time. Malala also receives flowers from hundreds of well-wishers, including Beyoncé, Angelina Jolie, and the Archbishop of Canterbury. One bouquet is simply addressed to “The Girl Shot in the Head, Birmingham”—Malala’s fame is so great that the bouquet has made its way to her anyway.

As Malala waits for her parents to arrive, she realizes that she’s been spared for a reason: to fight for education and free speech across the entire world. In a way, she concludes, the Taliban have helped her mission, rather than hindered it: they have made her campaign global. Gordon Brown, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the UN special envoy for education, has instituted a petition in Malala’s name (“I Am Malala”), demanding schooling for all children of the world. Malala is overjoyed with these measures. Looking back, she thinks of this time in her life fondly, but she had no idea that she wouldn’t be going back to Pakistan.