Malala Yousafzai will write memoir

Malala Yousafzai, the 15-year-old Pakistani girl who made headlines when she was shot by a member of the Taliban, will release a memoir later this year.

The book, titled “I Am Malala,” is slated to be published this fall by Little, Brown in the US and by Weidenfeld and Nicolson in the UK, where Yousafzai is currently living.

“I hope the book will reach people around the world, so they realize how difficult it is for some children to get access to education," Yousafzai said in a statement. "I want to tell my story, but it will also be the story of 61 million children who can't get education.”

She said she hoped her book would become “part of the campaign to give every boy and girl the right to go to school.”

Michael Pietsch, executive vice president and publisher of Little, Brown, pointed out that “Malala is already an inspiration to millions around the world” .

“Reading her story of courage and survival will open minds, enlarge hearts, and eventually allow more girls and boys to receive the education they hunger for," he said.

Yousafzai was shot in the head in October by a gunman whom the Taliban identified as a member of its organization. The gunman approached a bus which was taking Yousafzai and other students home from school. Yousafzai and another girl were shot, but both survived. Yousafzai was nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize in 2011 and is well-known for her campaigning for education for young girls.