Malala and her family leave their beloved Swat Valley because of increasing violence and danger due to the rise of the Taliban in Pakistan. When they finally return, in 2009, after the prime minister says the valley is safe from the Taliban, Malala and her family are shocked to see how widespread the destruction has been.

After visiting their home, Malala's dad is "anxious to check on the school" (191). First, they see rotting goat heads outside of the school. Once they go into the classrooms, they realize that soldiers had been using the school as their living quarters. They had written anti-Taliban sentiments on the boards, and bullet casings and bullet holes are obvious to Malala as she accompanies her father through the school. There is also a letter that the army left, "blam[ing] citizens like us for allowing the Taliban to control Swat" (192). Malala and her father are upset, but her father does not seem to be surprised. Malala also reflects on how the army/soldiers don't appear to be that much better, if at all, than the Taliban. She has heard about them leaving the bodies of Taliban fighters in the streets. Both sides seem barbaric.

A week or so later, the school reopens, and Malala is excited to return to her education and to her friends. Of course, this will not last forever, as she will be brutally attacked for pursuing her education after the Taliban declares that girls cannot go to school.