Recovering in a British hospital, the Pakistani teenager shot by the Taliban last week for her outspokenness is probably not aware of it, but Angelina Jolie is speaking out in her defense, even suggesting her for the Nobel Peace Prize.

MORE: U.K. Pakistani community rallies around shot girl

Jolie took to The Daily Beast today to describe how the story of 14-year-old Malala Yousafzai, who was nearly assassinated last week by a Taliban hitman while she was riding her school bus, shocked the movie-star mom into sharing the story with her six kids as a lesson in the power of an education.

Her children were as baffled as the rest of the world, including most in Pakistan, about why adult men would attack a girl who spoke out in favor of education for girls.

"It was difficult for them to comprehend a world where men would try to kill a child whose only 'crime' was the desire that she and others like her be allowed to go to school," Jolie wrote in her essay, under the headline "We are all Malala."

Jolie said she told her children that some men are frightened by girls like Malala because "education is a powerful thing."

Malala was shot in the head. After surgery in Pakistan and a period of stabilization, she was airlifted to the UK this week and was said to be responding well to treatment in a hospital in Birmingham. Because she is so young, her brain may recover more fully from the injury than if she had been an adult.

In the meantime, Jolie wrote, her story is inspiring millions around the world.

"As girls across Pakistan stand up to say 'I am Malala,' they do not stand alone," she wrote. "Across Pakistan, a national movement has emerged to rebuild the schools and recommit to educate all children, including girls. This terrible event marks the beginning of a necessary revolution in girls' education."

And as the Nobel committee meets to discuss the annual award of the Peace Prize, she wrote, "I imagine brave Malala will be given serious consideration."

USA Today