[1] The book received positive critical reception and reached the top 10 in The New York Times' bestseller list under the "Young Adult Hardcover" section.

[3] At age 11, Malala Yousafzai began writing an anonymous blog for BBC Urdu, detailing her life in Pakistan under the growing influence of the Taliban.

[4] Following the blog, she was the subject of a New York Times documentary Class Dismissed,[5] and spoke out for female education in local media.

Yousafzai was revealed as the author of the blog in December 2009,[4] and as her public profile rose, she began to receive death threats.

[22] As well as crises caused by war and terrorism, Yousafzai wished to highlight refugee stories from those affected by gangs, such as in Latin America.

She details the rise of the Taliban in Mingora, Pakistan which led to forced displacement, with her family moving between relatives in the Shangla District and Peshawar.

The Yemeni Crisis led the children to flee to Egypt in 2012, and Zaynab was kicked out of her uncle's house after she was diagnosed with tuberculosis.

Najla once left home for five days in a successful attempt to convince her parents to let her go to school; in Dohuk, she taught literacy to children.

Her father was killed in the Colombian conflict, though this was hidden from María for many years; she fled with her mother and sister from Iscuandé to Cali.

After a harrowing journey, Analisa reached Texas, where she was transferred between places nicknamed the hielara ("ice box") and perrera ("dog pound").

Jennifer, working with the Church World Service, helped the family adjust to America, and acted as Marie Claire's "American mum".

In The Irish News, Luke Rix-Standing gave the book a rating of nine out of ten, praising its "searingly honest vulnerability".

Rix-Standing particularly praised Malala's story and her writing style, commenting that her "simple, emotive language" and "short, sharp sentences" let the narrative "speak for itself".

[26] A Publishers Weekly review commended the writers' "strength, resilience, and hope in the face of trauma" and praised the "profoundly moving" message of the book.

[28][29] On Twitter, business magnate Bill Gates wrote of the book: "I can't think of a better person to bring these stories to light.