My Life Book 1 Lesson 15 Inspirational people

Inspirational people J.K. Rowling Single mother Joanne Rowling was recently divorced and extremely poor. She was so poor she couldn’t afford a computer or even the cost of photocopying the 90,000- word novel she had written, so she manually typed out each version to send to publishers. Her manuscript was rejected dozens of times until a small publisher gave it a second chance after the CEO’s eight-year-old daughter fell in love with it. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was published in 1997 under the name ‘J.K.’ Rowling. Her publisher didn't believe a woman's name would appeal to young boys. The Harry Potter books are the best-selling book series in history.

Inspirational people Malala Yousafzai Malala Yousafzai is a young Pakistani woman. As a schoolgirl, she defied Taliban threats and campaigned for girls’ right to an education. She survived being shot in the head by the Taliban. She has become a global advocate for women’s rights, especially the right to education.

Inspirational people Rosa Parks Tired after a day’s work, Rosa Parks boarded a bus on 1 December 1955. When she refused to obey the driver's order to give up her seat in the ‘coloured’ section for a white person, she was arrested for civil disobedience. Parks’s act of defiance, and the Montgomery Bus Boycott that followed, are recognised as pivotal moments in the US civil rights movement.