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Quick answer: If you loved I Am Malala, read Trevor Noah's Born a Crime, then Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl, then Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis, and Jung Chang's Wild Swans and Jeannette Walls's The Glass Castle. All are inspiring, true stories of courage.
Malala Yousafzai's 2013 memoir tells how she survived an attack for speaking up about girls' education. It is simple and powerful. These picks share the courage of ordinary people.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Born a Crime | Trevor Noah | Adult | humour and hardship |
| The Diary of a Young Girl | Anne Frank | 12+ | readers who want the true account |
| Persepolis | Marjane Satrapi | Adult | graphic memoir fans |
| Wild Swans | Jung Chang | Adult | readers who want nonfiction |
| The Glass Castle | Jeannette Walls | Adult | readers who like survival stories |
| The Boy Who Dared | Susan Campbell Bartoletti | 11-14 | older readers |
| Refugee | Alan Gratz | 10-14 | younger readers |
| Ghost Boys | Jewell Parker Rhodes | 10-14 | readers ready for a hard topic |
| The Breadwinner | Deborah Ellis | 9–13 | Afghanistan stories |
| Hunger | Roxane Gay | Adult | readers who want a direct memoir |
| Man's Search for Meaning | Viktor E. Frankl | Adult | readers who want depth |
| Tuesdays with Morrie | Mitch Albom | Adult | readers who want nonfiction |
| The Distance Between Us | Reyna Grande | Adult | memoir |
| Brain on Fire | Susannah Cahalan | Adult | medical mystery |
| Dry | Augusten Burroughs | Adult | more Burroughs |
1. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
Noah describes growing up mixed-race in apartheid South Africa. Funny and powerful.
Best for: humour and hardship.
2. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
The real diary of Anne Frank, who hid in Amsterdam during the war. Essential reading.
Best for: readers who want the true account.
3. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
A graphic memoir of growing up in Iran during the revolution. Funny and sad.
Best for: graphic memoir fans.
4. Wild Swans by Jung Chang
Three generations of women in China, from foot-binding to the Cultural Revolution. A landmark nonfiction memoir.
Best for: readers who want nonfiction.
5. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Walls grew up with brilliant but irresponsible parents. Vivid, funny and sad.
Best for: readers who like survival stories.
6. The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Helmuth Hübener, a German teen, resists the Nazis. Based on a true story.
Best for: older readers.
7. Refugee by Alan Gratz
Three children in different eras flee from Nazi Germany, Cuba and Syria. Fast-paced and powerful.
Best for: younger readers.
8. Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Jerome, a twelve-year-old Black boy, is killed by a police officer and becomes a ghost who meets Emmett Till. Serious and moving.
Best for: readers ready for a hard topic.
9. The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis
A girl in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan dresses as a boy to feed her family. Short and gripping.
Best for: Afghanistan stories.
10. Hunger by Roxane Gay
Gay writes about her body, trauma and the world's judgment of her size. Honest and painful.
Best for: readers who want a direct memoir.
11. Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
A psychiatrist describes his time in Nazi camps and what kept people alive. A short, powerful classic.
Best for: readers who want depth.
12. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
A journalist visits his former professor, who is dying of ALS, every Tuesday. A short, moving memoir.
Best for: readers who want nonfiction.
13. The Distance Between Us by Reyna Grande
A girl crosses the border and builds a new life. Moving and honest.
Best for: memoir.
14. Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan
A young journalist develops sudden psychosis and is eventually correctly diagnosed. Gripping and humane.
Best for: medical mystery.
15. Dry by Augusten Burroughs
Burroughs recounts his time in rehab and recovery from alcoholism. Funny and raw.
Best for: more Burroughs.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with I Am Malala: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to I Am Malala. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most.
How to Choose
For memoirs, read Educated or Born a Crime. For stories of resistance, try The Diary of a Young Girl. For graphic memoirs, pick Persepolis. For history, read Wild Swans.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote I Am Malala?
Malala Yousafzai, with Christina Lamb.
When was it published?
2013.
What age is it for?
Teens and adults.
Which book here is best for more Burroughs?
Try Dry by Augusten Burroughs, which suits readers looking for more Burroughs.
Which book here is best for medical mystery?
Try Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan, which suits readers looking for medical mystery.
Which book here is best for memoir?
Try The Distance Between Us by Reyna Grande, which suits readers looking for memoir.
Which book here is best for readers who want nonfiction?
Try Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom, which suits readers looking for readers who want nonfiction.
Which book here is best for readers who want depth?
Try Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl, which suits readers looking for readers who want depth.